The Girl and Her Dragon
by estelley.bear
Summary: Everyone knows the story, but what would happen if Hiccup was the chief's daughter. Being different in a viking world is hard enough, add a dragon into the mix and things might get a little interesting. (Fem!Hiccup AU)
1. Chapter 1: Dragon Raid

_This, is Berk. A beautiful island between the deadliest cold and absolutely nothing, complete with amazing sunsets and a wonderful view of the ocean. Yeah, pretty great isn't it? We only have a small problem with the local wildlife. Some places have wolves or buffalo. We, on the other hand, have dragons. And we're vikings so, you know, we kill them. Well, at least, we try. My name's Hiccup and I'm a viking. Or, at least, I'm trying to be…_

I sit in my usual spot, next to the stone hearth in the middle of the house sketching in my journal. This is where I am mostly, when I'm not at the forge with Gobber. Or wandering aimlessly in the woods. Or accidently causing trouble in the village. Let's just say I've got a knack for finding trouble even when I'm not looking for it. That's why my dad tells me to stay here, where I can't "get in the way" as Snotlout would say.

But I'm used to being treated this way though. Being the smallest kid growing up in a village full of rambunctious and crazy child vikings I was picked on pretty often. I mean who wouldn't pick on the tiniest girl in Berk? But, having the stubbornness of my father I never really let their words weigh me down too much. Now that we're older, I keep to myself mostly, but somehow, trouble always seems to find me.

As I sit sketching by the fire I hear the shrill, familiar sound of a horn being blown, followed by a rumbling explosion. My head whirls toward to window, where I see a flaming Monstrous Nightmare land on top of a house, setting it on fire.

 _Dragon raid,_ I think to myself excitedly. I've always been fascinated by dragons. When I was little I would always ask Gobber to tell me stories of his great-great-great-grandfather Bork discovering new dragons and documenting them. Even then I wanted to know as much as I could about the beasts so I could make my father proud.

My father, Stoick the Vast. Well, he's the viking every viking wants to be. Chief of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe and said to be one of the best at killing dragons in our history. All I've ever wanted to do is make him proud. And now I have a plan that will make him, and everyone else on this island, see that I'm more than the village hiccup.

Another explosion had me dropping my book and running to the door. Heaving the door open, I stare at the chaos all around me. Dragons of all sorts are soaring through the night sky as vikings run for weapons or for cover. Some other building had caught on fire, but that didn't stop me from all but jumping into the mayhem.

Running through a mess of flying axes, large and yelling men, nets, fire, and screaming sheep, I tried to get to the forge in one piece.

"What is _she_ doing out again?"

"Get back inside!"

"Oh great, she's going to ruin everything."

"My cabbages!"

I ignored everyone telling me to go home, but I couldn't help but laugh about that last cry of lost cabbages. I wouldn't be surprised if the twins were the cause of that. I giggled and smirked to myself as I ran through the village and into the forge.

"I see you've joined the party," Gobber says as I enter the shop. I smirked as I walked over to the other side of the room to grab my apron.

"Like I would miss it. I think I've finally got the spring coil for my inve-"

"Woah there lass, ye don't mean to tell me yer still tryin' to bring down tha' Night Fury are you?"

Ever the pessimist, Gobber thought my idea of shooting down a Night Fury was going to be a flop.

"But it's not going to be like the last few times," I said as I half carried, half dragged a heavy axe to be sharpened. "I really think I have a good chance tonight Gobber. The sky is clear and I fixed the calibration for the-"

"Hiccup why don't yeh try it out with the smaller dragons first. One's tha' you can actually see. That way you won't embarrass yerself in front of the entire village again."

I sighed. Sometimes, Gobber is a little too honest with people.

"First of all: ouch. And second, I can do this Gobber. I've got a good feeling about it this time!"

"Yah, well, the good feelings going to 'ave to wait, I'm afraid," he said grabbing a mace-headed prosthetic for his left arm. "Man the fort, Hiccup. Or, woman the fort I guess," he shrugged. "You know wha' I mean." With that, he waved his mace-arm in the air and yelled like a madman before running off into battle against the dragons.

I watch his retreating form until I see the rest of the teens trying to put out a fire nearby. Along with Snotlout were the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, fighting (as usual) over who got to throw the bucket of water on the fire. Behind them was Fishlegs, a large but ironically soft young viking.

And after that was Fearless Asher Hofferson.

Yeah I'm not going to lie, Asher is pretty good-looking. Tall, blue eyes, blond hair and a sly smirk on his face. Who wouldn't fall for that? But seeing as he's him and, you know, I'm _me_ , chances of him even noticing my existence are practically nonexistent. But if everything goes according to plan, there's a slight chance that he might notice me.

My thoughts are interrupted when I hear a high-pitched whistle.

"Night Fury!"

"Get down!"

I heard shouts and bleats from the sheep as the Night Fury shot at the nearest watchtower.

 _Now is my chance,_ I thought to myself.

I disregarded Gobber's orders, like always, and grabbed the wheelbarrow-like contraption I had made. Removing the tarp I had over the invention, I wheeled it out of the forge and onto the streets.

I ran to get to an open area, nearly running over a few of the people on the way. It's complete mayhem out here, but it's not uncommon for raids to get like this.

I know you're probably thinking, "Why don't you just move to another island?" And while it would be the logical thing to do, we're vikings and, well, we have stubbornness issues.

Getting to what I think is the perfect spot, I set up my invention. It's basically a giant crossbow sort of thing that shoots bolas. Pulling everything into place I look for something to shoot at.

"Come on," I say under my breath. "Give me something to shoot at."

As if the gods heard me, I see the dark, shadowed figure of a dragon against the stars. Hearing the whistle again, I knew it was the Night Fury.

I aim the giant crossbow and waited for a clear shot. It came as the Night Fury shot a plasma flame at a watchtower.

I fired the bola, the force of the power behind it knocking me off my feet and onto my back. Curse my tiny body.

I scramble to my feet and hear a distressed cry from the Night Fury as I see something fall through the sky to the far side of the island.

"Oh gods I hit it? I hit it! Did anyone see that?"

I look around for anyone that might have seen my moment of glory only to hear a low growl behind me. Turning slowly I see an angry, flaming Monstrous Nightmare climbing over the edge of the cliff I was standing next to.

"Except maybe you…"

The Nightmare stepped on my invention, crushing it under its weight.

"Oh come on I just got it to work," I half-whined. The flaming dragon roared. That was all I needed to see before running in the opposite direction and back to the village, screaming my head off for someone to help.

I run to the nearest fire signal and hide behind the wooden beam holding it up. I press my back even further into the beam as the dragon's fire curled around both sides, the temperature spiking dangerously. The fire ends abruptly and I look around the edge of the burned wood to see my dad tackling the dragon, distracting it from me.

 _Oh great,_ I think to myself. _Can't get much worse than this._ The Monstrous Nightmare is out of fire now apparently, and Dad is able to get in a few punches and kicks before the dragon flies off. As he walks back toward me, the burned base of the 30-foot fire signal decides now is the best time to come crashing down.

*boom*

*crash*

"MY CABBAGES!"

I cringed, still not facing my dad. "Sorry, Dad." The entire village had seen the whole ordeal and was standing in silence around me. I looked up at my dad sheepishly.

"Okay, but I hit a Night Fury."

My arm is grabbed by a hand larger than my face, pulling me in the direction of the house.

"But Dad it's not like the last few times! I really hit it this time. You guys were all busy and I had a really clear shot. It went down just near Raven Point, let's get a search party dow-"

"Stop, Hiccup, just stop," my dad says loudly as he stops dragging me and turns to face me. I looks around nervously and notice that people have gathered to watch me get in trouble.

 _Oh great I just love public humiliation. As if I don't get enough of it._

"You were supposed to stay in the house. Why can't you follow the simplest orders?"

"I can't help myself! I see a dragon and I have to just kill it, you know? It's who I am, Dad." I give him a small, nervous smile, hoping he'll see that I'm actually trying to be a proper viking. But I guess my smile didn't convince him. He put his palm to his forehead and sighed.

"Oh Hiccup you are many things, but a dragon killer is not one of them." I frown. He turns to Gobber and pushes me towards him. "Get her home, I have her mess to clean up." And with that, Dad walks away with some of the men and I'm escorted back to my house with a small push from Gobber.

As I walk away with my head down I hear laughing. Of course it had to be Snotlout and the twins.

"Oh man can't get much than that," he says while laughing. "That actually helped!"

I avert my eyes from the group of teens and keep walking with my head down. "Yeah thanks, I tried," I respond in a monotone voice. I tug on my braid, a nervous habit I've always had.

Seeing my anxiety, Gobber decides to speak up. "Don't worry there lass, you're father's just got his skivvies twisted, he'll come around soon."

I look up at Gobber. "But it's always been like this. With me not being able to do anything right and always disappointing him. I mean it's not like I asked to be a scrawny little girl. And every time he talks it's with this disappointed scowl, like someone forgot to put the meat in his sandwich." I rant the rest of the way and step up to the door of the house.

"No, yeh see, you're thinking about this all wrong," explained Gobber. "It's not so much what you look like, it's what's inside that he can't stand."

I deadpanned. You see? Just a tad too honest at the most inappropriate of times.

"Thank you, for summing that up." I rolled my eyes and went open the door.

Gobber sighed. "Wha' I'm trying to say, lass, is don't try to be someone you're not."

I had stepped inside the house and was starting to close the door when he said this. I stopped for a second. I looked up at him, then down at my feet.

"I just want to be one of you guys."

And with that, I closed the door.

 **Hey everyone! For the sake of this story only Hiccup and Astrid/Asher are genderbent. Hope you guys enjoy the story!**

 **With love,**

 **Estelle**


	2. Chapter 2: Lost Opportunity

**Lost Opportunity**

Once I'm inside the house, the Night Fury is all I could think about. I'm positive I hit it. Or, at least I'm pretty sure I did. Surely I hadn't been imagining the distressed sound it made and the way it sort of crashed into the trees. I have to go find it. And once I do, I'm going to kill it. No viking has ever killed, or even caught a Night Fury, and I'm going to be the first. Doing that will definitely gain me some popularity points on this island.

I didn't stay in the house for long obviously. I know I hit that dragon. Pausing only to pick up my journal from where I dropped it by the hearth I make my way through the house and out the back door. I hurry into the woods, just in case someone sees me and decides to tell my dad. That's the last thing I would need right now. I try to push him from my thoughts as I push farther into the woods towards Raven Point.

-  
Nothing.

Zilch.

Zippo.

Nada.

I've been looking for this dragon for more than four hours now and I have absolutely nothing to show for it. Not even a small piece of rope from the bola.

Pulling out my journal, I scratch the area I just checked off the map I had sketched. And then I scratch out the place right next to that. And the one right next to that. Then I cross out the entire page with my charcoal pencil out of frustration.

"This is just great," I say out loud as I snap my book close and stick it back in my fur vest. "Some people lose their knives or their helmet and I manage to lose an _entire dragon_?" I turn to the nearest tree and kick it with my left foot frustratedly. It was a pretty stupid idea on my part and I stubbed my toe.

"Ow ow ow ow.." I hop on one foot as I rub the other, trying to ease the pain. And of course, with my bad luck and terrible coordination, I end up losing my balance and falling on my rear.

Why the gods decided to give me all these problems, I had no idea.

I look up and scowl at the tree as if it wasn't an inanimate object and was capable of blame for my stubbed toe and sore butt. Getting a better look at the tree I notice that there's something wrong with it. The tree's trunk had snapped and its branches we're on the ground. Beyond the tree was what seemed like a trench in the ground, as if something heavy had been dragged upon it.

Curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to investigate. Picking my way through the broken branches and pieces of wood I come across… a claw mark? Definitely a claw mark, a dragon claw more likely than not. I keep making my way through the trench, going slightly uphill. Reaching the end of the trench, I pull myself up to look over the edge into a small clearing in the trees. What I see makes me crouch down so fast I almost lose my balance.

 _The Night Fury_

I slowly straighten up the slightest bit to peer over the edge. Grabbing at the pocket on the inside of my vest, I manage to pull out my pathetically small knife with shaking hands. The dragon is wrapped up in the rope I shot at it, not moving a muscle. Still standing with my knife out in front of me, I cautiously step forward to take a closer look. It still doesn't move, lying motionless in the the clearing. _I did it?_

"I did it! Oh gods, this changes everything." I exclaimed. Disbelief was an understatement, I actually _shot down_ a dragon that no one has ever seen and some don't even believe _exists_. The fact that it was _me_ of all people… I can't wait to tell Dad.

In my excitement, I walk up to the Night Fury's body and set my foot on the motionless dragon's arm. "I have brought down this mighty beas-" I'm cut short when the presumably dead dragon moves its arm and groans in pain. I stumble back, holding my knife out in front of me once again. _Oh great._ As I inch closer, the Night Fury opens its eyes. It stares me down with its vibrant green eyes, its pupils like slits. I freeze and come to a realization.

 _I have to kill him. I have to kill this dragon._

Taking a deep breath, I tighten my grip on the knife. "I'm going to kill you, dragon," I say, more as an order to myself then to the dragon. "I'm going to cut out your heart and take it to my father. I'm a viking." I speak softly at first, then get louder as I psych myself into viking-mode. "I am a viking!" I say loudly while looking at the dragon in the eyes. The dragon looks back at me. His eyes almost seem… sad. Yup definitely sad. I turn away and raise the knife over my head, closing my eyes. _You have to do this, Hiccup,_ I think to myself. _Think of how proud Dad will be._

Despite myself, I open my eyes slightly and look down at the dragon once again. Its eyes are still watching me sadly. I look away and take a deep breath. I hear a soft thud and from the corner of my eye see the dragon closing its eyes and laying his head down with a sad sort of humming noise, as if he was accepting his fate. Shaking my head I try to remove the image of his sad eyes from my mind. I raise my knife again, but I can't bring myself to kill the dragon. I can't take a life like this, even from a monster.

I back away slowly from the Night Fury. Looking at him, I can see marks on his pitch black scales, from crashing through trees on his way down or trying to get out of the ropes I don't know. He was in pain, and it was my fault.

"I did this," I say softly.

What I do next surprises me, I start cutting the ropes holding down the dragon. I shot him down _and_ hurt him, I couldn't just leave him there to die. The dragon's eyes are still closed, if I cut the ropes quickly, I can run away from here without him noticing. Crazy, I know, but I have to do something. _Oh gods I hope Night Furies don't hold grudges._

*snap*

I cut through the first rope, moving my knife back and forth against the second piece of rope as fast as I possibly can.

*snap*

Almost as soon as the rope is cut, the dragon pounces. Before I know it, I'm on the floor, pinned between a rock and the claws of an angry Night Fury. My eyes are wide with fear in contrast with the narrowed eyes of the angry dragon in front of me. A growl emits from its throat as it brings its head back and opens its mouth. I close my eyes, expecting the worst. But the worst never came. Instead, the Night Fury roared loudly in my face before turning and flying off, leaving me too stunned to move. I release a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding.

 _Well that was fun._

But seriously, it wasn't. Feeling lightheaded, I picked up my dropped knife while tried to catch my breath. I can't believe I'm still alive. I rise shakingly to my feet. I take one step forward and… "Nope." My knees give out and I'm blacked out before I hit the floor.

* * *

By the time I wake up the sun is setting. It takes me a while to remember why I'm waking up in the middle of the woods. The afternoon's events come flooding back within seconds, though. The downed dragon, me freeing it after almost killing it, the freed dragon roaring in my face, me fainting. Yeah I guess it was an eventful day.

I get up, dusting the grass and leaves off my shirtfront and my pants. Using the last light of the sun I'm able to find my way back to the edge of the village. It's not unusual for me to be getting home this late. Dad is used to my wandering off and "chasing butterflies and senseless dreams" (as so kindly put by the ever honest Gobber). I still don't want to face him though. I haven't seen Dad since my latest screw-up early this morning. It's almost like I did two things the prove that I will never be viking material.

I sigh as I make my way through the village and back to the house. I really don't want to go home, but I haven't eaten anything but a few berries all day and I'm really tired even though I was passed out for quite a while. Maybe that's what near-death experiences are supposed to be like. I should ask Gobber, he's bound to have more than a few experiences with almost dying.

 _Maybe if I walk into the house super quietly and quickly he won't notice me,_ I think to myself. Not the best plan, but it'll have to do for now. By now I'm walking up the steps to the front door of my house. Cracking the door open just a bit, I peek inside. Dad is standing in front of the hearth in the middle of the house, stoking the fire. His back is to the door. I take a breath and open the door just enough so I can slip in. It's times like these when I'm sneaking in the house, and only these times, that I'm thankful for my tiny body. I close the door as quietly as possible and head towards the stairs leading up to my room. I'm halfway up the stairs when -

"Hiccup."

 _Well isn't this just great?_

"Uh, hi Dad," I say slowly while coming back down the stairs. Earlier during the raid I told him that killing dragons was in my blood. After what happened just a few hours later, that was the most invalid thing I have ever said in my fifteen years of living. And I've said some crazy things, believe me. Now, I had to somehow tell my dad that I didn't want to go to Dragon Training, where every able-bodied teen goes to learn how to kill dragons. It's sort of a right of passage and initiation into vikingness and whatnot. This is going to be fun. "I, um, have to talk to you, Dad."

"I have to talk to you too," he said, turning away from the fire to face me at the bottom of the steps. We both speak at the same time.

"I think it's- I don't- you learn how- fight dragons. What?"

"Sorry, you go first," I say. Maybe now isn't the right time to tell him anyways, it's not like I'm going to begin training any time soon.

"Alright," he begins. "You get your wish. Dragon training. You start in the morning."

My heart drops. Gods this is _not_ happening.

"Ah man I should have gone first," I blurt out quickly, bringing a hand up and tugging on my auburn braid. "Because you know, Dad, we seem to have a surplus of dragon fighting vikings. But do we have enough-" I pause and try to think of the right words- "Bread making vikings. Or clothing repair vikings-"

"You'll be needing this." I'm cut off by my dad dropping an axe almost as heavy as I am into my arms. The weight of it causes my knees to buckle slightly, making me almost fall down the rest of the steps. I hold the axe awkwardly, trying my best not to drop it.

"Dad, I don't want to fight dragons," I plead. What my dad does next surprises me. He _laughs_. "Oh Hiccup, yes you do," he says while still laughing.

"Rephrase, I _can't_ kill a dragon." _I'm physically incapable of killing dragons too,_ I add in my thoughts. But it's like he's not even listening to me. "You can and you will, daughter."

"Can you not hear me?"

"It's time, Hiccup," he says sternly, all traces of a smile gone from his face. "When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you," he explains while readjusting the axe in my arms so it's facing the right direction. "That means you walk like us, you talk like us-" he taps the side of my head with his forefinger- "You _think_ like us. No more of"- he stops and gestures to me- "this."

I roll my eyes. "But you just gestured to all of me!" Again, he doesn't seem to want to listen to what I have to say.

"Do we have a deal?"

I scowl up at him. "This conversation is feeling very one-sided."

"Deal?" He says a little more loudly. Even if I say no, he won't accept it. And it will add only another reason to the long list of reasons for me being a disappointment.

Looking down at the ground in defeat I give him my answer. "Deal," I sigh. Dad nods his head in approval. "Good." He picks up a traveling basket from behind him. He must be going on another trip to attempt to find the dragons' nest.

"Train hard," he says while placing a hand on my shoulder. Removing his hand he walks to the door and looks back at me. "I'll be back, probably."

I look up at him. "And I'll be here… maybe," I say quietly.

He walks out the door and closes it behind him, leaving me alone at the bottom of the stairs with an axe in my arms and no goodbye.

* * *

Well there's chapter 2 for you guys, I hope you liked it! I'm sorry it took a while to update, I had finals last week and hardly had any free time. But I'm off on vacation now so I'll be able to update more frequently. Thanks to everyone that has read so far. And now to answer some reviews:

 **To MMM (guest):** I'm still trying to decide whether or not I want to follow that specific part of the movie. There will be parts of this story that will closely relate to the movie, like this chapter and the first, and there will be times later on when it will be a little different. I kind of have an idea as to how I'm going to write that scene out, but that's further down the line so we'll see what happens. And yes, there is a male version of Astrid mentioned in the first chapter, Asher.

 **To RiverRunsDeep:** First of all, thanks for giving this story a chance. Hopefully I'll be able to write what you mentioned in your review.

Don't forget to review! I love hearing any thoughts, suggestions, or questions you might have. Until next time!

With love,

Estelle


	3. Chapter 3: I almost die again

**Chapter 3**

 **I almost die... again**

The next morning comes faster than I want it to. Watching the sun rising over the island only brings one thought to mind: this is the day I start dragon training. Just a few days ago, I would have been ecstatic. I would have jumped out of bed and all but ran to the arena. Now, I don't want to get out of bed. How am I supposed to train to kill dragons when I know I won't be able to?

Well, there's no use in running from my problems. I push the covers of my bed back and stand up. Something falls off the bedside table. It's the small, stuffed Deadly Nadder my mom made for me as a baby. I know it sounds childish, but I always have it next near me when I sleep. Probably because it's the only reminder I have of my mom.

My mom died in a dragon raid when I was a baby. I don't remember much about her, and my dad never talks about her all that much. Every now and then he'll be reminded of her and share a fond memory with me. The person who's told me most of the stories I know about my mom is Gobber. Like how her cooking was terrible and how she used to call me Hicca. I bet we would have been really close.

One of the things I do know about her was that she wasn't fond of killing dragons either. We have that in common, I guess. Picking up the stuffed animal, I notice something written in small, faded letters. It's not my name, well, not _really._ In what must be my mother's writing is _Hicca_. I wonder why no one ever calls me that. Gobber and my dad sometimes call me Hicca, but it's only ever been them. It's a much nicer, and not to mention more feminine, name than Hiccup. Maybe if I ask, people will start calling me that.

I place the Nadder on the top of my bed frame and change from my night clothes to my usual brown pants and green tunic. After putting on my boots and vest, I head downstairs. At the bottom of the steps is the axe Dad gave me last night, leaning against the wall. I'm too nervous to eat anything, knowing in about an hour I'll be training with the other kids, who will no doubt try to make the day's events harder just for the fun of it. I'm not at all prepared for what's going to happen these next few weeks. In the past, people who are stronger and faster than I am have gotten seriously injured by the dragons used for training.

 _Well,_ I think to myself, _no point in stalling._

Heaving the axe up into a comfortable position to carry, I head out the front door. I trudge through the village to the arena and keep my head down. No one gives me a second glance, but then again, they never do. A few yards ahead of me are the rest of the teenagers, heading to the arena as well. Ruff and Tuff are shoving and punching each other in the face. I'll never understand them, and I'm not sure I want to. Snotlout is a few paces ahead of them, walking alongside Fishlegs. And Asher is leading the pack, as usual. Not wanting to talk to them, I purposefully walk slow to avoid them. I'm going to be seeing enough of them these next few weeks.

After crossing one of the many suspended bridges and a short walk later, we arrive at the entrance of the arena.

Gobber is already standing at the entrance gate. "Good mornin'," he greets as our group gets closer. "I hope yer all ready."

 _No,_ I want to say, _I'm not ready._

He then proceeds to lift the gate and gesture inside with his hook. "Welcome to dragon training."

Asher walks in first, of course, followed by the rest of us. Everyone but me is looking around the arena in awe, taking in this moment. With my brow furrowed and an awkwardly held axe, I enter the arena after them.

"This is it," says Asher while looking up at the metal bars and chains above the arena. "No turning back."

 _No kidding._ I almost roll my eyes.

"I hope I get some serious burns," Tuffnut pipes up. His sister has a different view I guess. "I'm hoping for some mauling," she states. "Like on my shoulder or lower back."

I flinch. That's such a weird thing to hope for. Asher responds Ruffnut's statement, though. "Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it."

This I can't help but scoff at. The others turn at the sound of my voice as I continue walking inside. "Yeah, no kidding right?" My voice is laced with sarcasm as I speak. "Pain. Love it."

"Oh great, who let _her_ in?" Tuffnut's words are sharp and I can't help but be a little saddened. Snotlout sniggers. Thankfully Gobber steps in.

"Let's get started," he booms. "The recruit that does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village." He twists his hooked hand at the word "killing" and I grimace.

"The useless wonder already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify her or…" Snotlout trails off with a smirk on his face as the twins begin laughing. Fishlegs doesn't laugh because he thinks it is funny, but he does give a half-hearted laugh, like he's doing it just to fit in. Asher rolls his eyes and brings his double-headed axe to sit on his shoulder.

"Can I transferred into the class with the cool vikings?" Tuffnut asks mockingly as they walk away. The rest of the teens, but not Asher I notice, laugh and turn around to continue to walk to the center of the arena. I sigh and follow them with my head hanging, my eyes averted to the floor.

"Don't worry, Hiccup." Gobber speaks as he puts a heavy arm around my shoulders and urges me forward. "You're small and weak, that'll make you less of a target! They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more viking-like teens instead."

I scowl but nod, and a sudden thought cross my mind.

"Hicca," I manage to get out. "I want to be called Hicca." For a brief moment, his eyes soften.

He smiles. "Well alright Hicca, I hope yer ready for training." And with that he pushes me into a line with the rest of the group. We're faced toward the massive locked doors that hold different types of deadly dragons. Fishlegs, who is standing next to me, practically trembles in anticipation and is barely containing his squeals of excitement.

"Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight." Gobber addresses all of us as he walks slowly in front of the doors, announcing what dragons are behind each of them.

"The Deadly Nadder."

"Speed eight, armor sixteen." Fishlegs has obviously done his studying.

"The Hideous Zippleback."

"Plus eleven stealth times two."

"The Monstrous Nightmare."

"Firepower: fifteen."

"The Terrible Terror."

"Attack eight, venom twelve!"

"Can you stop that!" Gobber yells at Fishlegs. He regains his composure before speaking again.

"And," he begins while grabbing the lever to open the next door. "The Gronckle."

Fishlegs tenses up and leans towards me slightly. "Jaw strength: eight," he whispers. My eyes widen.

"Woah, wait aren't you going to teach us first?" Snotlout bursts out of the line with a scared look in his eyes. If I wasn't so scared myself I would laugh.

"I believe in learning on the job." And with that, Gobber pulls the lever. The wooden log holding the door in place is pulled up by a metal chain. Almost immediately, an angry Gronckle barrels out of its cell and towards us. I turn and run in the direction opposite the dragon and the rest of the recruits scatter.

The Gronckle slams into the wall on the far side of the arena, its small wings moving fast to keep it suspended as it picks up and eats a few rocks on the ground.

"Today is about survival," I hear Gobber say from my position away from him and the dragon. "If you get blasted, you're dead."

That's reassuring.

"Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?" Gobber asks us from where he is standing near the door of the Gronckle's cage.

"A doctor?" I respond.

"Plus five speed?" Fishlegs asks.

"A shield." Ding ding, Asher is right once again.

"Shield, go!" We all follow Gobber's orders and run to a pile of shields in the middle of the arena.

I get to the pile just as Ruff and Tuff are arguing over a shield. Choosing to ignoring and focus on my impending doom, I grab the closest shield and struggle to adjust it on my arm properly. Gobber is suddenly next to me. "Your most important piece of equipment is your shield," he calls out. He helps me with the shield and shoves me in a direction away from the Gronckle. "If given the choice between a sword and a shield, take the shield."

The twins are still trying to pull the shield out of each other's hands when the Gronckle fires, hitting the shield and sending them to the floor.

"Ruff, Tuff, you're out!" Gobber yells out to them. Both of them look dizzy and disoriented and look up at Gobber with questioning looks.

"Those shields are good for another thing. Noise. Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim." Those of us remaining start hitting our weapons against our shields. Almost immediately, the dragon shakes its head, its eyes going in and out of focus. For a few moments we keep it confused, circling around the dragon and throwing off its balance.

"All dragons have a limited number of shots," Gobber continues his insane method of teaching. "How many does a Gronckle have?" The Gronckle manages to fly forward and we all jump out of the way.

"Five?" Snotlout guesses. I run behind a large piece of wood leaning against the stone wall of the arena and crouch under it, waiting for the Gronckle fly in the other direction.

Fishlegs raises his shield as if raising his hand. "No, six!" he says proudly. Gobber nods. "Correct, that's one for each of you." Fishlegs' proud smile is wiped off his face when the Gronckle fires and knocks the shield off his arm.

"Fishlegs, out!" Fishlegs doesn't need to be told twice and runs away from the dragon, yelling with his arms in the air. That's two shots.

"Hicca! Get in there!" Gobber yells. I try to move out from under the board, but I shrink back when fire passes inches from my face and hits the wall. That's three shots.

The Gronckle gets distracted by Snotlout and Asher. Snotlout seems to be trying to prove himself a better recruit, but Asher has his eyes focused on the coming dragon. As the dragon gets closer Asher flips out of the line of fire. Somehow, Snotlout doesn't seem to notice a dragon twice his size barreling towards him. Then again, he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.

The Gronckle sends a ball of fire at Snotlout. The shot hits the shield in front of his chest and sends him flying backwards. "Snotlout, you're done!" Gobber calls.

Four shots down, two more left.

Asher lands in a fighting stance right next to me. _Oh great._

"So, it's just you and me, huh?" I manage to get out awkwardly. Asher still has his eyes on the dragon. He suddenly stands up straight. "Nope, just you." And with that he sprints away right as the Gronckle fires and knocks the shield off my arm.

"One shot left!" I hear Gobber yell but I'm too busy regaining my balance to pay him heed. The shield rolls away and I run after it, not paying attention to whether the Gronckle is following me or not.

"Hicca!" Gobber yells. The Gronckle must have decided to follow me and not the "viking-like" Asher. Fantastic.

I run with my arms outstretched, trying to grasp the shield, but it rolls in a different direction and my body's momentum pitches me forward and makes me stumble. I manage to take a few more steps before losing balance completely and fall down, turning my back against the wall. The Gronckle closes in and stops mere centimeters from my face. I pant heavily as the angry dragon backs up just enough to open its mouth. And for the second time in two short days, I see the back of a dragon's throat that's meant to kill me.

I squeeze my eyes shut and push closer to the wall, waiting for the Gronckle to fire. The shot comes, but the dragon misses and hits the wall just above my head. I bring my arms up to cover myself from the small pieces of falling rock and open my eyes. Gobber's extended hook prosthetic is lodged in the Gronckle's mouth as he pulls it away from where I am crouched against the wall.

"And that's six," he says as he continues to heave against the dragon. "Go back to bed, you overgrown sausage." He manages to fling the dragon back into it's cave-like cell and closes the door quickly.

I sit trembling slightly on the floor when a shadow looms over me. It's Asher, holding a hand out to me. I grab it with my own shaking one. He pulls me up to my feet, and walks away without a word. _Men._

We all gather in the center of the arena once again, panting and bruised and shaking. Well to be fair to everyone else, I'm the only one shaking. We wait in silence as Gobber makes his way back towards us.

"Don't worry, you'll get your next shot in the morning," he says to all of us. "But don't forget," he continues. "A dragon will always," he turns to face me, " _always_ go for the kill." I flinch slightly at his words.

"Well, see you all at dinner." Gobber turns away from me and heads toward the gate. Soon after, the other teens follow suit. They're too tired to even mention me failing miserably in the first day of training. I guess that's a good thing.

I spot my axe lying haphazardly on the floor next to the pile of shields. I walk quietly to retrieve it and then walk out of the arena. Gobber's words are still playing over and over in my head.

 _A dragon will always go for the kill._

I furrow my brow. It doesn't make sense. The Night Fury didn't kill me yesterday, so his statement can't be entirely true.

This thought bugs me the entire walk back to my house. I trudge through the dirt path leading to the house and climb up the steps to the door. I prop the axe against the wall and plunk down on the rug near the fire pit.

Maybe a walk will clear my thoughts. I get up off the ground and quickly run upstairs to grab my journal from my night stand. Tucking it into my vest pocket along with a charcoal pencil, I make my way down the stairs and out the door once again.

I don't pay attention to where I'm going until I find myself at the clearing where I found the Night Fury. The pieces of rope from the bola are still on the ground. I bend down and pick up on of the ripped pieces of rope.

"So why didn't you kill me?" I ask softly, as if the dragon could hear me.

I drop the piece of rope and stand back up again. I head in the direction I saw the dragon take off in. Something catches my eye on the ground as I come closer to a small cove in the woods. Bending down I find a black dragon scale. As I pick it up to get a closer look, a large shadow shoots up out of the cove right next to me and I stumble back in surprise.

 _The Night Fury.  
_

* * *

 **A/N**

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry this took more than a week to update. I got really busy with the holidays and getting ready for a trip to Rome in a few days. Hopefully I can update again before I leave! Thanks for being patient :) Don't forget to review!

With love,

Estelle


	4. Chapter 4: Dragons, dinners, and manuals

**Chapter 4**

 **Dragons, dinners, and manuals**

My shock wears away by the time the Night Fury flies back down into the cove. I didn't notice before, but the dragon is struggling to fly for reasons I don't know. Landing on the ground with a thud, he growls and paws the ground in frustration before jumping up and trying to fly again. This time he's able to stay up a little longer, but then hits the rock wall of the cove before dropping to the ground again. He shakes his head before moving towards the large pool of water inside the cove. Creeping up slowly to the bank, he quickly plunges his head into the water, probably trying to catch a fish. Unfortunately for him, he comes up empty-handed. Or, empty-mouthed or whatever.

I lower myself down to the edge of the cove and climb down a few large rocks, stopping to sit on one that gives me a better view of the Night Fury on the other side of the water. I quickly take out my journal and turn to an empty page. Taking out my charcoal pencil I draw a quick sketch of the dragon. Body. Wings. Tail. Tail fins. Scratch that, only one tail fin on the right side of the tail. I rub out the fin that I drew on the left side of his tail.

My brow furrows. "Why don't you just fly away?"

The dragon walks to a patch of grass in the sun and warms the ground by blowing a low flame onto the earth, proceeding to lay down on top of it. I add a few more details to my drawing. My leg is starting to feel a bit numb, so I try shifting my position without making too much noise.

Shifting positions inconspicuously is a success. Managing to hold on to my pencil? Unfortunately a fail.

The pencil falls and makes a small noise as it hits the rocks below where I'm perched. The Night Fury hears the small noise and raises its head to see where the noise came from. What he sees is me crouching on the rock in a failed attempt to grab the pencil before it fell. My body freezes as I make eye contact with the dragon. He simply holds his gaze a few seconds longer before lazily lowering his head back down, facing the other direction.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding and stand up. The sun is starting to set over the horizon, so I should start heading back to the village now. After taking a small moment of silence over the loss of my pencil, I climb the rocks back up to the forest floor.

Ironically, the walk that was supposed to clear my mind only ended up with me having even more questions than before. I kick away a small rock out of my path in mild frustration. All these questions and absolutely no answer. Why didn't the dragon kill me? Why did Dad decide to grant my death wish by sending me to dragon training? Why doesn't the Night Fury fly away? Why is the sky blue?

Well not that last question, but still. Everything that has happened in the past forty-eight hours seems surreal. My bangs fall in front of my face as I walk, and I repeatedly have to brush them back with my fingers.

As I continue walk, the clouds overhead become darker and it begins to rain.

Just my luck. Oh wait, I don't have any.

I raise my arm to shield myself from the rain and continue walking. A few minutes later, my arms get tired and I give up trying to stop the rain from getting in my face.

After a cold, drenching walk, I finally reach the village and head to the Great Hall to for dinner. I push open the huge wooden doors and enter the hall. Gobber and the other trainees are already here, sitting and eating dinner around the table as Gobber stands at the head. I hear him ask what Asher did wrong in the ring earlier. Water drips from my clothes and hair as I walk closer to them.

"I mistimed my somersault dive. It was sloppy, it threw off my reverse tumble," says a deep voice that can only belong to Asher.

Ruffnut rolls her eyes. "Yeah, we noticed," she says, sounding bored of the topic of conversation.

Snotlout scoffs. "Yeah I could've done it better." Everyone turns to him with questioning looks on their faces. "I mean, if I wanted to. But I didn't, so I didn't do it," Snotlout quickly continues somewhat nervously.

"Asher's right," Gobber speaks up, addressing the group. I walk past him and grab a plate of chicken and a cup of water. "If you're going to get better, you have to be hard on yourself."

As I get closer, Ruffnut moves closer to the edge of the bench, leaving no more room for me to sit. Not like I wanted to sit there anyway, I think to myself as I walk past them to the next table.

"Where did Hicca go wrong?" Gobber asks, noticing my entrance.

"Uh, she showed up," Ruffnut suggests.

"She didn't get eaten," Tuffnut says with an almost disappointed look on his face. I scowl at him.

"She's never where she should be," Asher answers, sending a quick side glance in my direction. I would have gotten mad had it not been for the validity of that statement.

"Thank you, Asher," Gobber throws a look at the twins. "You all need to live and breathe this stuff." He proceeds to clear the table of cups and plates with a swipe of his prosthetic over the table.

"The dragon manual," he states as he throws a leather bound book onto the now empty space on the table. "Everything we know about every dragon we know of," he finishes as he places a pointed finger onto the book.

Thunder rumbles outside and Gobber looks up as if listening to something or thinking. "No attacks tonight," he announces to us. "Study up." And with that, he turns and walks to exit the hall.

Tuffnut stops trying to balance his knife on the wood surface of the table and looks up in shock. "Wait. You mean read?"

"While we're still alive?" Continues Ruffnut, sharing in her twin brother's shock.

"Why read about words when you can just kill the stuff the words tell you stuff about?" Snotlout asks impatiently.

"I've read it, like, seven times," Fishlegs pipes up excitedly. "There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face. And there's this other one that buries itself for like a week-"

"Yeah that's great." Tuffnut cuts him off, mimicking a closed mouth with his hand. "Now, there was a chance I was going to read that-"

"But, now…" finishes Ruffnut. The answer is obviously: they're not going to read the book.

Snotlout stands. "You guys read, I'll go kill stuff." Everyone else shoots up out of their seats and follows him. Well, almost everyone. Asher still sits with his hand around his cup.

I stand and approach his table. "So, I guess we can share? The book, I mean." Awkwardly, I tuck a piece of my still damp hair behind my ear. It had fallen out of it's braid on the walk through the rain.

"Read it." He slides the book over to me and stands up.

"Oh, all mine then," I say softly. "I- I guess I'll see you tomorrow then." Of course you're going to see him tomorrow, stupid. You're in training together. I mentally face-palm. Why can't I talk to people?

Asher's lips twitch and for a moment I almost think he smiles. "See you tomorrow," he pauses. "Hicca," he adds after a beat of silence, then walks out out.

I sigh and slump down onto the bench. At least the nickname is catching on. I think about reading the book right now, but decide against it. My clothes are still soaking wet and it's cold, and I don't plan on getting sick any time soon.

I stand up and leave the book on the table, knowing it would still be here when I get back. What kind of viking would steal a book?

The rain has let up, thank gods. I walk home and change into clean, dry clothes, leaving the stuff I was wearing by the fire to dry. After drying my hair and braiding it out of my face, I walk back to the hall.

The village is deserted, and rightfully so as it's nearly the middle of the night. When I reach the Great Hall the fire pit in the middle no longer blazes and it's almost completely dark. There are candles near the entrance, so I grab one and light it before moving to where I left the Dragon Book. I gently set the candle down on the table as I open the book.

"Dragon classifications: strike class, fear class, mystery class." I read off of the first page. There's information on all sorts of types of dragon. Thunderdrum, Timberjack, Scauldron, Changewing, Skrill, Whispering Death. Each more frightening than the last. Each page holds information on how the dragon attacks, always ending with the same phrase: Extremely dangerous, kill on sight.

Thunder and lightning rumble outside and the wind pushes the doors open, causing me to jump. Shaking it off, I continue to flip the pages of the book.

"Burns its victims. Buries its victims. Chokes its victims. Turns its victims inside out." I flinch while mentally envisioning that last one.

"Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on sight." Each page says the same thing. I turn page after page until I reach one almost completely free of writing. The caption at the top of the yellowed page catches my attention.

Night Fury.

"Speed unknown. Size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only chance: hide and pray it does not find you."

I bring out my journal. Turning to the page where I drew the sketch of the Night Fury, I place it down where the illustration should be in the dragon manual.

My brow furrows. There's not enough information on the Night Fury. None of my questions are answered. A cold breeze blows into the hall and makes me shiver and I hug my arms to my chest for warmth.

I stand and blow out the candles on the table. My thoughts wander as I leave the Great Hall and head home. At least it's not raining again. When I reach the house I go straight up the stairs and climb into bed, pulling my blanket up to my chin. Staring at the ceiling, I decide to ask Gobber for more information on Night Furies tomorrow at training.

After a lot of tossing and turning, I finally manage to fall into a restless sleep.

* * *

 **A/N**

Woah two chapters in two days? I know! Well I wanted to write an upload at least one more chapter before I leave on a choir trip to Rome tomorrow. I'm so excited! I wrote this chapter when I took breaks from packing and getting everything ready. Sorry this chapter isn't as long as usual, I kind of rushed this chapter :P

In response to MMM: Yes the nickname will catch on xD

Thanks to everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story! I get so excited when I see the alerts on my phone and I _love_ to hear from you guys. Don't forget to review! See you in a week!

With love,

Estelle


	5. Chapter 5: Love on the Battlefield

I wake up before the sun the next morning. For a long while after I wake, I simply lay on my back on top of the bed and stare at the ceiling of my room. I've always loved this time of the morning. How the world seems to be still and quiet. It's almost as if the rest of the world is still sleeping. This is usually the time I come up with my brilliant ideas and plans.

Today, however, I seem to be drawing the biggest blank of my entire life. I don't know how to confront the topic of Night Furies with Gobber. I don't know how I'm going to survive the next few days of training when it was a miracle and sheer luck, not mention Gobber's prosthetic arm, that I managed to survive yesterday. I also don't know how to feel about Asher.

Much to my annoyance, Asher has been running through my mind lately. Our small encounter yesterday made me feel more confused than hopeful. Why is he being somewhat kind to me all of the sudden? Sure, we were friends when we were little, but we were never even close at that time. I was always quiet, and he was always reserved, so we never spoke much. The fact that he's always been Berk's up and coming best dragon killer doesn't help me in any way at all. Who would want to be seen at any given time, by anyone, with me?

Think positive, Hicca, I remind myself. Sometimes being positive is way harder than it sounds, but sulking won't help any more than having a good outlook on things.

Outside, birds are singing as the sun climbs higher in the sky. I push back the covers and sit up. After changing and eating an apple, I grab my axe and head out the door. The walk to the arena is silent, I don't run into any of the other recruits. Arriving early to the ring, I find no one else there. Once I walk closer to the entrance, I start to feel a bit hesitant. It's not the fact that no one else is there that I'm worried about. It's what's inside the arena.

Tall, makeshift wooden walls are set up in a maze-like pattern all along the ring floor. No, not a maze, just set up in a way that makes it harder to maneuver through the arena. Whatever Gobber has planned out for us today can't be good.

"Gobber?" I call out into the arena, hoping to ask about the Night Fury page before everyone else gets here.

"Oi, lass, up here." I hear his voice above me and look up. He's standing in the viewing section of the arena and leaning against the metal bars above the ring.

"Mornin', Hicca. I trust you slept well."

"Actually, Gobber, I wanted to-" I'm cut off mid-sentence by hollering and yelling behind me. I turn around and see the other teens walking towards the entrance. Tuffnut's voice is heard amongst the others.

"Yeah! Let's go kill some-" he cuts himself off when he sees the walls. "What are those big wooden things doing in the training arena?"

"Wait," Ruffnut speaks up. She holds her arms out with her palms facing downwards as if signaling someone to stop. "I think we're going to be using them during training."

Snotlout deadpans at them while Asher brings the palm of his hand up to his forehead. Gods they can be stupid sometimes. But they're the Thorston twins, what else would be expected?

"Now," everyone turns their heads to look up at Gobber, who spoke loudly to get their attention. "If you would all step inside the arena." Seeing as I was already inside, I took a few steps further in to make room for the rest to walk in. As they walked past me, Snotlout bumps me on the shoulder. Now I'm not saying that I'm weak, because I'm not, but when a tiny person like me gets pushed by someone larger than them, or any person for that matter, most likely they are going to fall down. Which is exactly what happened to me.

I yelped in surprise as my body fell forward. My axe clattered to the ground next to me and I used the palms of my hands break my fall. Once I stopped falling I looked up and glared at a laughing Snotlout and chortling twins. One of these days I am really going to have to do something about this.

"Was that really necessary, Snotlout?"

Still on the ground, I'm shocked when I hear Asher address Snotlout while entering the ring.

"Yeah," Snotlout says while still sniggering. "It really was."

Asher simply crossed his arms and looked at Snotlout in response, who got slightly nervous at that. Not many people disagree with Snotlout, but even fewer disagree with Asher. Everyone is intimidated by him, even Snotlout is. Though he'll never admit it. Fishlegs and the twins watch intently, wanting to see what will happen next in this encounter. I watch too, but from my seat on the floor.

"Oh come on!" Snotlout says after a few moments of tense silence. "You've gotta admit that was funny."

"No." Asher crosses over to where I am on the floor and helps me back to my feet. "It really wasn't funny." His tone is firm as he stares at Snotlout, who rolls his eyes and turns to walk further into the arena, the others following him soon after.

I'm suddenly aware that Asher still has his hand on my arm. Stepping away from his grasp, I turn my head slightly so my hair covers my slightly red face. Gods help me, am I blushing?

"Um, thanks," I say to Asher, still looking away. "I guess."

I turn when I hear him bend down to pick up my axe. He then holds it out to me and I take it from him.

"You're welcome," he says with a small smile on his face. "I guess." And with that he turns and follows the group.

Well, that just happened.

Ugh, get it together Hicca. I shake my head and walk towards the group. Why was I getting smitten over this? Honestly, the only thing he did was help me off the floor again. It wouldn't be the first time someone's had to help me off of my rear. I'm not exactly what you would call graceful.

But he stood up for you. A small voice nags at the back of my mind. He did stand up for me. That's the first time he, or anyone else for that matter, has ever helped me like that. I can't help but wonder why he's being so helpful all of the sudden. Usually he's quiet and somewhat expressionless, only speaking when absolutely necessary. But, I can't say that it isn't nice to have a sort of acquaintance. Or whatever the heck Asher and I are.

I sigh. Maybe later I can think more about this, but right now, I have to focus on not getting myself killed today.

"So Gobber? What exactly are the walls for?" Fishlegs inquires in a hesitant voice. Like me, he must feel that whatever Gobber has planned is going to be as crazy and endangering as yesterday's training session.

"Well," Gobber begins, picking his teeth with his hooked prosthetic. "You'll find out soon enough. But first, who can tell me what methods would be best when dealing with a Deadly Nadder?"

Fishlegs raises his hand and practically jumps up and down. "Anyone other than Fishlegs?" Gobber asks while ignoring the bouncing recruit. I don't say anything and neither do the others, not wanting to be wrong.

"No one?" Gobber raises an eyebrow, but we remain silent and curious. "Then I guess you're about to find out. Release the Nadder!"

Oh boy, here we go.

Even though we can't see it due to the tall walls, we hear the Nadder burst from its cage. What we do see is the dragon nimbly jumping to the tops of the walls. Spotting us, it roars and begins to hop along the walls. We all run in different directions, scattering so we can avoid the dragon.

I slow down as I come closer to where Gobber is standing. It's now or never, so I choose to ask him about the Night Fury page.

"So I noticed that the book doesn't have anything on Night Furies. Is there a sequel or a Night Fury pamphlet that-"

The blade of my axe being burned off by the Deadly Nadder's white-hot fire cuts me off mid sentence.

"Focus, Hicca!"

I turn and find the Nadder coming towards me. I yelp and run behind one of the walls on my right. I've lost it for now, but I have no idea where it is. Though I can hear the others yelling and running.

"Today is all about attack!" I can barely hear Gobber over the sound of my feet hitting the ground and my heart thumping in my chest. If I didn't die yesterday, I'm definitely dead today.

"Nadders are quick and light on their feet! Your job is to be quicker and lighter!"

This would be so much easier if I wasn't such a clutz. I'm running as fast as I can away from the sounds I can hear the dragon making, but the shield I'm hold in my left arm doesn't seem to help my cause at all.

Though I can't see him, Fishlegs' scream is heard. "I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!"

Gobber responds by saying something about a dragon's blindspot. Or something like that. I'm more interested in trying to get back to where I can ask Gobber about the Night Fury. And staying alive of course. After running and turning more corners, I manage to get back to where I was before.

"So how exactly would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" I question as the other recruits shove past me to get farther from the Nadder. It might be a crazy question at a crazy time but the only way I'm getting anywhere near that Night Fury is if I sneak up on it.

Gobber rolls his eyes. Apparently he's getting tired of all my questions. "No one's ever met one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!" He points into the rows of wall behind me.

"I know, I know. But hypothetically-"

"Hicca!" I hear an urgent whisper and turn around to see Asher and Snotlout crouched against one of the walls. "Get down." It was Asher that spoke again. I crouch behind Snotlout as they both check around the edge of the wall. The Nadder is on the other side facing the opposite of the opening we need to get across.

Taking his chance, Asher rolls to the other side and Snotlout follows. Taking a deep breath I follow after the both of them. Normally I would be able to roll across with ease, but seeing as I have a shield to hold while rolling, it was a bit more difficult. And by a bit more difficult I mean that the weight of the shield stopped me mid roll right in the middle of the opening.

"Oof." I'm not sure if it was sound I made or the shield hitting the ground, but either way the Nadder heard me.

"Oh Thor." I get out of the way just in time before the spot I was in merely a second ago was blasted by the dragon's fire. As I run away the inside of the arena is complete mayhem. The Nadder has jumped on top of the walls again and is hopping across them,only this time, the walls start to fall due to the dragon's weight. I stand watching as the they fall. Then I see Asher jump on top of the walls as well, try to get away from the dragon.

My feet are glued to the floor even though my head is screaming at me to move. What happens next is a blur. I hear my name being called as Asher jumps off the last standing wall and falls in my direction. His arms grab me and pull me down with him so he won't completely crash into me. As I fall back he turns his body so that his back hits the floor instead of mine. We had hit the floor already, and realizing that my eyes were closed I lifted my head and opened them. What I saw was a pair of blue eyes staring back at me.

"Ooh, love on the battlefield." It was Tuffnut. Oh gods.

Once again I'm frozen in place, but not out of fear. The moment is short-lived and almost non-existent. The Nadder roars, and Asher and I turn to see the dragon barreling towards us. He pushes me off of him and reaches for his axe, but it had fallen from his grasp when he crashed into me. Somehow, my shield was still on my arm. Seeing the shield, he quickly grabbed it and turned just in time to hit the dragon across its snout. The hurt dragon flinches, obviously hurt, and flies back to its cage.

I'm on the floor still, breathing heavily. We're all breathing heavily by now. Asher turns to me, and he's not exactly happy, but not completely angry.

"Hicca," he begins. It's obvious he's trying to keep his cool. "This isn't a joke. Our parents' war is about to become ours." He speaks slowly as he walks over and, for the second time in a day, helps me to my feet. I rub my arm awkwardly as he leaves in silence. The rest follow him after giving me a short glance. I keep my head down.

"Our parents' war is about to become ours."

He's right. Soon, we'll be old enough to be considered true vikings. And true vikings are meant to kill dragons. But I can't kill them, I know that much now. Sooner or later, I'll have to figure out which side I'm on.

* * *

 **A/N**

I can't even begin to say how sorry I am for making you guys wait two weeks for an update. I'm so sorry! Things have been really busy around here. But I hope you all had a happy New Year. I know some of you guys might be a little concerned that Asher isn't exactly like Astrid in the sense that he's not completely ignoring Hicca. I'll just say that I'm writing his character like that for a reason that will be explained more in depth later on in the story. No need to fret my dears! Thanks to everyone who has followed, favorited, reviewed, or even just read this story so far. You guys are amazing and I love hearing from you! Until next time friends!

With love,

Estelle


	6. Chapter 6: A New Friend

_You have to make a choice._

Those words are the ones rolling around in my head as I walk home. Either I get my act together and try to be better in training to become a true viking, or I throw away all regards to my family's history and fail my dad. In all honesty both are pretty bad choices.

Suddenly I'm reminded of the difference shown by the Night Fury and the Gronckle from training. The Gronckle would have, or _should_ have, killed me had it not been for Gobber. The Night Fury had a very clear shot and had me pinned, but it didn't even harm me. Scared me out of my wits, yes. But he didn't kill me when he could have.

It's a stupid idea, but I have to find out more about the Night Fury. I feel almost connected to it in a way. Or maybe it's just me being sorry for shooting it down. Either way, I plan on going back to the cove to see if it's still there.

After a short meal at home. I grab a small knife and tuck it into a loop on my belt. As I walk out, I remember how the dragon was trying unsuccessfully to catch a fish to eat, so I grab a fish from the small pile I had made from fishing a few days ago. The last thing I grab is a shield. You never know, I might have to cover myself from an attack.

The walk to the cove is filled once again with thoughts concerning everything from training to a particular blond, blue-eyed boy. I try to focus on the last at hand. At the moment, I have no idea how I'm going to approach the dragon. Maybe I'll just throw the fish from where he can't reach me… Nope, not a good idea. Knowing my terrible aim it would probably hit the Night Fury and then I would be toast. _Literally._

I still don't know what to do by the time I reach the cove. Guess I'll have to wing it, I think to myself as I approach the entrance. Walking closer I find an entrance to the floor of the cove through a small passage through the rocks. I raise the shield as I get closer and toss the fish a few feet ahead of me. I crouch down behind the shield after I throw the fish in case the dragon comes this way.

Not hearing anything, I get up from my crouched position and take a few steps forward. The only problem was my shield. It had gotten stuck in between two of the rocks in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. I try pushing and pulling the shield, but it won't budge.

Well, here goes nothing. I drop down and crawl under the shield and enter the cove. The fish lies a few feet ahead of me, so I walk quietly and pick it up. I look around the cove while taking small steps towards the water. It's seemingly empty, and the Night Fury is nowhere to be seen. Did he find a way out? My brow furrows in thought, no he couldn't have. He couldn't fly the last time I saw him and that was yesterday.

Where are you? I question in my head.

I hear a scuffing noise behind me. Turning around slowly, I see the Night Fury slowly crawling towards me. As it approaches me, I notice that its eyes aren't as narrowed as they had been when I had let him go. He almost looked… curious.

He doesn't look curious for long before he starts to growl at me. His eyes narrows and the pupils of his eyes turn into slits as it eyes the dagger at my belt. It's the same one I almost killed him with. He probably remembers it. I reach toward the knife, but his growling only gets louder. I flinch. The only way for him to relax is to get rid of the knife, but he'll get angry if I reach towards it.

Keeping eye contact with the dragon, I grab the knife from my belt and hold it as far as I can from my body before dropping it on the ground. Then I kick the knife into the water with my foot. The knife makes a small splashing noise as it hits the water.

The Night Fury's growling stops as it sits back on his hindquarters. The pupils of his eyes dilate and his ear plates are twitching and aren't flattened against his head like they were before. If I wasn't so scared I would have awed at how cute the dragon looked. Instead I hold the fish out to the dragon with slightly shaking hands.

He gets onto all fours and crawls cautiously towards the fish in my outstretched arms. When he's close enough to grab the fish, he opens his mouth. Oddly enough, there are no teeth in his mouth. I blink in surprise.

"Toothless," I say out loud while watching the dragon. "I could have sworn you had-"

I stop speaking in surprise. Teeth had risen out of the gums of the Night Fury's mouth and he quickly grabbed the fish and swallowed it.

"… Teeth," I finish, my mind back in defense mode. Apparently, Night Furies have retractable teeth.

After licking his lips, the Night Fury looks at with his wide and curious eyes. He makes a humming noise as he begins to sniff at my clothing, pushing me a few steps back.

"N-no no," I try to get him to stop coming towards me. My backside hits a rock and I fall to the floor with my back against the rock. I realize that the he's looking for more fish.

"I don't have anymore," I say as he continues to sniff my vest. He then raises his head and makes a weird face. After making somewhat of a gagging noise, he regurgitates half of the fish onto my lap.

"Ew." I look squeamishly at the slimy fish on my lap and hold it up to keep it from staining my clothes. The Night Fury has sat down and his hindquarters and is watching me intently. I sit awkwardly while holding onto the fish, not knowing what to do with it. The dragon makes a cooing noise and looks at the fish and then back at me.

 _Oh gods, he wants me to eat the fish_ , I think to myself. I lift the raw fish to my mouth as the dragon watches intently with his wide eyes. I cringe at the fish before taking a deep breath and biting into the fish. The fish is slimy and makes me gag, but I don't swallow it and keep it inside my mouth.

"Mmm-mm," is all I can say with my mouth full as I hold up the rest of the fish to the dragon. He looks at the fish and then to me, then makes a swallowing motion. My arms fall as I make an exasperated noise, realizing what the dragon wants me to do. I brace myself and swallow the fish, the raw and disgusting taste almost making me sick. But I manage to keep it down. I shudder at the taste before giving the Night Fury a weak smile.

Still sitting across from me, the dragon opens his mouth and he gives me gummy smile. I giggle at how he tries to copy the smile I gave him. I set the fish down on the ground and bring myself up to my knees. I try reaching out my hand to touch the dragon's nose, but his smile quickly become a snarl and he narrows his eyes again before he turned away, gliding to the other side of the lagoon.

Standing up so quickly I almost lose my balance, I follow the dragon. He doesn't seem as scary to me as he did just a few minutes ago. Coming to where the dragon is laying on the ground, I sit down cross-legged next to him. He's facing the opposite direction, but after watching a nearby bird take off in flight, his gaze eventually turns to me. I give him a small wave and a smile. He rolls his eyes in annoyance and lays his head back down, using his tail fin to block me from his sight.

His tail fin still looks off, it only has one fin on the right. The left side must have gotten hurt when I shot him down. Wanting to get a closer look at his tail, I scoot closer and reach out to touch the tail. Right as I'm about to touch his tail, he lifts it up and looks at me. I stand and turn away quickly as a reflex of being caught.

I decide to leave my new dragon friend alone for a while. I walk to the edge of the lagoon. It's really beautiful here and it's a wonder no one's ever found it before. Well no one that I know at least. To pass the time, I pick up a few smooth, small stones and skip them across the surface of the water. My dad had taught me after a futile attempt at teaching me how to fish. Holding the stone how he taught me, I throw the stone and give it a small flick. The stone skips across the water a few times before it falls into the water with a small plunk.

After a while, I get bored of skipping stones. I look to where I left the dragon to see that he is hang upside down from a tree branch. It wouldn't be a good idea to wake him up, so I sit down on a rock and pick up a stick and start drawing absentmindedly in the dirt.

I keep calling him the dragon or the Night Fury, but I think he at least deserves a name after I, you know, shot him down and hurt his tail fin and all that. I think back to when I gave him the fish, how he had no teeth. Toothless. It's not that bad of a name, actually. Bringing my attention back to the drawing on the ground, I try to draw Toothless's face. I'm almost done when a dark figure plops down beside me.

Toothless watches me draw and follows the movement of the stick with his head instead of just his eyes. After a short while he gets up and waddles away on his hind legs. There's a loud crashing sound, and he comes back with a small uprooted tree that he's dragging across the ground. He continues to drag the tree across the dirt, making twists and turns to draw loops and turns. I sit on the rock and watch until he's finished and looking proudly at his artwork. I stand up and turn in a circle, trying to figure out what he drew. My feet wander a few steps, but I stop cold when I accidently step on one of the lines Toothless drew and he growls. His growling stops when I lift my foot back up off the ground. When I put my foot back down on the line he begins to growl again, and I once again lift my foot up. The next time I place my foot down, it's on the other side of the drawn line. Toothless's ear plates raise in curiosity and I smile.

Keeping my arms up for balance, I step over the lines around me and move towards the edge of Toothless's drawing. I turn and take a few steps backwards. I back into something solid and feel hot breath on top of my head. Turning around, I find see Toothless looking down at me with his green eyes wide. Slowly, I bring a hand up, but he his eyes narrow slightly and a very low growl comes from his mouth. I sigh and turn my head the other way. What I do next is bordering crazy. I close my eyes and put my hand out in Toothless's direction, my head still turned the other way and facing down. Then there's nothing to do but wait. After a beat of silence, I feel something warm and scaly press against my hand. I breathe a sigh of relief before opening my eyes and looking up.

Toothless's eyes are closed and he keeps his nose against the palm of my hand. Then he opens his eyes and gives his head a small shake. He looks at me with a slightly annoying expression before taking off back to where he was napping earlier. I smile to myself. Not all dragons are bad, and this just proved it.

* * *

A few hours later I sit around a fire on top of a watch post with Gobber and the other recruits. Gobber's telling everyone the story of how he lost both his arm and his foot while we eat our dinner. While everyone else is paying attention to the story, I stay quiet and zone out often. I already know the story like the back of my hand. Gobber told me the story at least once a month when I was younger. He always forgot that he had already told me, but I never told him that. It's best for Gobber not to know those types of things, he gets a little sensitive when people don't want to listen to his stories.

As everyone gasps at the right moments in the story, I smiled at the memories of Gobber telling me funny stories as he babysat me at the forge. Fishlegs then talks about how weird and cool it would be if people still had control of their lost limbs after the dragons had eaten them. All of us, myself included, throw him confused and questioning looks. He doesn't notice and continues to play with the two chicken legs in each hand.

"I swear I'm so angry right now," Snotlout growls. I roll my eyes.

"I'll avenge your beautiful hand and your beautiful foot. I'll bite off the legs of every dragon I kill. With my face."

Okay, now _that's_ really weird. Now it was his turn to get questioning looks from everyone.

Gobber speaks next. "No, it's the wings and the tails you want." He breaks off a piece of the wing of the chicken he's eating. "If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon is a dead dragon."

My eyes widen. Toothless is missing a tail fin. That's why he can't fly away. The rest of the conversation is ignored as I come to realization: I have to help Toothless fly again. And I think I know how to do that.

* * *

Hicca gets up abruptly, leaving her untouched fish where she was sitting. No one noticed her leaving as Tuffnut was speaking about how it was his destiny to kill the dragon. No one, that is, but Asher. As she walks towards the stairs, he rose from his seat and followed to the top of the stairs leading down from the watch tower. By the time he reached them, she was nearing the bottom of the steps. He frowned. Where is she going?

He had noticed that Hicca was unfocused and quiet these past few days. Well more unfocused and quiet than usual. And she seemed to always be in thought about something. Even though he didn't want to admit it to himself, he cared about Hicca even though he never let it on. Asher was never one to show any emotion other than collectiveness. But to him, Hicca was different, and it slightly annoyed him that he felt that way about her.

With a sigh, he turned away from watching Hicca's retreating form and went back to his seat beside the fire. Now it was he who was lost in thought. Something was up with Hicca, and he had to make sure she didn't hurt herself again.

* * *

 **A/N**

Well hello there everyone! I wanted to have this chapter up on Sunday but that didn't exactly work out unfortunately. But I wanted to get this up as soon as possible, so here it is! So what do you guys think about the different narration at the end of the chapter? Do you like it? I'm kind of thinking of doing that more often, so let me know what you think! Thanks again to all of you lovely people who have review and followed the story. It really does make my day when I get a notification saying a got a review. Hope you all have a great rest of the week! Until next time :)


	7. Chapter 7: I am a genius

After leaving everyone else around the fire eating dinner, the I walk through the village to the forge. Torches and small fires light the dark streets in the night. Once I get to the forge, I go to the back room that Gobber like to call my "idea room". He's right in a sense. The walls are covered with tacked-up sketches I've drawn of all the inventions I've ever thought of. My desk is littered with blank and crumpled pieces of parchment and my journal lies on top of the desk. Picking up my journal and a charcoal pencil, I turn to the page where I drew Toothless. I draw the missing side of Toothless's tail fin. If he won't be able to fly on his own, I can try to help fly with a bit of help.

The entire night is dedicated to making a new tail for Toothless. I try my best to estimate the size of the tail, and get to work on building it. I cut, weld, sew, hammer. After burning my arms at least twice and what feels like hours later, and probably is, I stand in front on the blueprints nailed up to the wall above the desk and compare them to the finished product.

Don't worry bud, I think to myself even though Toothless can't hear me. You'll be up in the air in no time.

* * *

Despite my lack of sleep, I'm wide awake with excitement as I walk to the cove the next morning, despite dragging a basket full of fish behind me. I figured I might need something to keep Toothless distracted as I attached the prosthetic fin to his tail. And because he's probably hungry. After a lugging the full basket for what seems like hours through the forest, I finally get to the cove.

"Hey Toothless," I call out. I struggle to bring the large basket over my shoulder as I walking further into the cove.

"I brought breakfast." I say with a grunt as I drop the basket on the floor, "I hope you're hungry." I tip it over with my foot and the basket falls on its side, the slimy fish spilling out the now open top onto the floor. It wasn't a very pretty sight.

"Eew, okay that's disgusting." My nose wrinkles at the sight. Toothless doesn't seem to mind as he pads over to the pile of the fish and starts sniffing.

"Uh, we've got some salmon, some nice Icelandic cod, and a whole smoked eel."

Toothless suddenly backs away from the fish and growls at the eel I just mentioned. Seeing his reaction I grab the eel by the tail and hold it up to him. It was a pretty bad idea. Toothless's eyes widened and he backed up even further and made a scared-sounding roar.

"Oh no, no, no okay," I try to calm him down and throw the eel far from where we're standing. "Okay." I say again as I bring up a hand to help Toothless calm down. He sniffs my hand and snorts when he smells the eel on it.

"Yeah, I don't really like eel much either," I say as I wipe my hand off on my brown pants. Now that the eel in gone and Toothless has no problem with the pile of fish in front of him, he starts to eat.

"That's it. Now don't you mind me, I'll just be back here. Minding my own business…" While he's busy eating the fish, I begin to inch closer to his tail so that I can attach the new tail I made him. When I kneel down to attach the fin, his tail moves a few inches away.

"No no, it's okay." I think he's moving his tail because I'm about to touch it but it's because he's moving while eating the fish. "Just," I place my hands on his tail to stop his moving, "hold still." He doesn't seem to mind me touching him so I sit on his tail so my weight keeps him from moving. His next movement pitches me forward. He had stuck his head into the basket for more fish.

I quickly grab the new tail and fasten it on to Toothless before he can move and throw me off-balance again. After finishing I lean back to examine my work. The prosthetic is attached to his tail using two straps at the top and bottom of the tail fin. I pull out the tail completely to compare it to Toothless real fin. They're both the same size.

"Not bad," I murmur to myself. "If it works- Aahhh!"

Toothless had taken off into to air with me still on his tail. I grab on tightly to his tail as the ground beneath me becomes farther away as Toothless continues to beat his wings and take us higher into the air. I scream as we begin to drop suddenly and look at his tail fins. The artificial fin is closed up and not functioning. The only way for it to work is if it's fully extended, so I grab the tail and pull as hard as I can to open the fin. As we're nearing the ground, the tail fin snaps open and Toothless is able to level out. He climbs upward into the air above the trees.

"Oh my gods, it's working!" I exclaim as we fly through the air. Toothless banks to his right and I adjust the tail fin to we could turn. We soar back down and glide over the surface of the water in the cove. In the reflective surface I can see myself latched onto Toothless's tail while holding the tail open.

"Yes! Yes, I did it!" I guess Toothless hadn't noticed me in his tail until that point, because he flicks his tail and sends me flying through the air before splashing into the water. Bubble swirl around me and I open my eyes underwater. As I make my way to the surface, I see Toothless fall into the water. I'm too happy to be mad that he threw me off his tail.

"Yeah!" I shout as I break through the surface of the water and throw my hands up. I tread the water as I watch Toothless resurface with an almost surprised look on his face as he makes his way back the bank of the lake. I've started swimming back as well, but I'm not the strongest of swimmers, so by the time I'm trudging out of the water Toothless has already partially dried himself off.

The fact that I'm drenched in water doesn't even dampen my mood. My invention worked. I'm practically bouncing on my toes and I walk over to Toothless to take the tail off. Aside from being wet, he seems to be fine. Just a bit grumpy. Note to self: Night Furies are moody dragons. But I still smile as I walk towards him. Though he still seems a bit annoyed, there's a playful gleam in his green eyes. He's flown for the first time in days, so he has to be happy about that.

"Bud, I am a genius." I laugh to myself as he brings his head around to look at the prosthetic. He begins to try and grab it in his mouth, which results in him trying to catch his tail and I laugh even harder. "Okay, okay, calm down. Just hold still." He watches as I take the now wet invention off of his tail and lay it out in the ground to dry in the sun. He pads over to where I set it down and sniffs it, makes a crooning noise and nudges my hand.

"Yup, I made that," I explain as I pat his head carefully. I still don't know much about him, but he did just willingly nudge my hand so I guess he's okay with me touching him. Maybe he's just lonely and needs a friend. "With a few adjustments, it'll work without me having sit on your tail." I smile at him as he turns and trots off to where he was taking a nap yesterday. I squint up at the sky and then see the eel from earlier lying at a distance on the floor. Training should be starting soon, and I have an idea.

* * *

 **I know what you're thinking and I am so so so sorry for taking so long to update. Things got really crazy these past few weeks and I hardly had any time to write. And I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer so I wrote this up really quickly. Sorry it's just a filler chapter but I'm working on the next one right now!**

 **Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed,** **favorite, and followed. You guys are amazing and you make my day :) See you soon.. hopefully... Just kidding xD Don't forget to review!**


	8. Chapter 8: A Change in the Norm

**Here I am, almost a month after the last update when I should really be doing the six essays I have for history homework. But who cares about that right? So here's the long overdue chapter 8! Hope you guys enjoy it :)**

* * *

Chapter 8: A Change in the Norm

A few hours later Hicca stands holding a bucket of water with her back against Fishlegs' as they wait for the day's training to begin. As Gobber releases the next dragon and the doors to its cave open, a thick, green gas spills out and fills the arena. Soon it's impossible for Hicca to see anything a foot away from where she and Fishlegs are standing. The other recruits are in the same situation. Snotlout was paired with Tuffnut while Asher was paired with Ruffnut. Hicca was slightly upset with the arrangement, but it's not like she minded not being paired with Asher. Or, at least, that's what she was trying to convince herself of. But those thoughts would have to wait.

"Today's all about teamwork." Gobber's loud voice cut through the fog even though Hicca couldn't see him. He continued to explain that in order to fight a Hideous Zippleback, a two-headed dragon, they had to figure out which of its heads was the one that lit the gas on fire and douse it with water. Because a wet dragon can't light it's fire, blah blah blah, and all that stuff. The young Haddock girl wasn't exactly paying attention to Gobber and was more preoccupied with worrying about whether or not her plan would work.

"Razor-sharp serrated teeth, that inject venom for predigestion. First ambush attack, crushing its victims-"

 _"_ _Will you stop that?"_ Hicca whisper-yells to stop Fishlegs' rambling about the many ways this specific dragon could kill them. And because it was getting annoying.

They continued to stand back to back while moving in slow circles, keeping an eye on every angle in case the dragon appeared through the fog.

In the distance, Hicca could hear the commotion the other teens were making. The smoke hadn't completely cleared yet, but had thinned to the point where she and Fishlegs could see the silhouettes of their friends. After a moment of silence, the other teens were swept off their feet by the Zippleback's tail. Tuffnut had apparently gotten the brunt of the sneak attack though. He came out of the fog barreling towards the still-standing duo screaming.

Fishlegs leaned over to Hicca slightly. "Chances of survival are dwindling in the single digits now." Hicca gulped. Not just because of what he said, but because it was probably true.

By then the fog had cleared and one of the dragon heads became visible and moved towards Fishlegs. He backed up while making surprised noises, trying to get away from the dragon. After a few more steps he threw the water in his bucket onto the dragon's head. Instead of retreating, the dragon opened its mouth and released the same gas that had previously filled the arena.

"Oh," Fishlegs laughed nervously. "Wrong head." The Zippleback chased him away from where Hicca was standing with its green gas.

"Fishlegs!" Gobber yelled to get his attention. At the same time, Hicca had her own problem. The two heads of the Zippleback were right in front of her as she took a few steps back, holding the bucket of water to her chest.

"Now, Hicca!" Gobber yelled at her to throw the bucket of water on the other head that had just come. It would have gone well, if the dragon was not positioned four feet above the small girl's head and she had more arm strength. With a small grunt, Hicca threw the water in the wooden bucket only about a foot above her head, not nearly far enough to have reached the dragon.

"Oh, come on," she said, exasperated. The Zippleback hissed and lunged forward at her, making her drop her bucket and fall back on the floor, backing up on her hands and feet.

Gobber and the recruits were about to intervene when the unthinkable happened. Hicca had put up her hands, and the Zippleback was taking steps backward with scared expressions on both of its faces. They could only stand and stare as the scene played out.

"That's it. Back! N-now don't you make me tell you again!" Hicca had risen her voice as she stood up and moved closer to the large dragon, all the while ushering it further back and closer to its cave in the arena's wall with her arms. Soon she had cornered it back into its stone cage.

"That's right," she said as she glanced back before reaching into her fur vest. She pulled out the same eel that had scared Toothless. "Now, think about what you've done." She smiled as she tossed the eel in front of the Zippleback. It hissed again and squeezed itself as close to the corner of the room as it possibly could.

Hicca stepped out of the cage and closed its large double doors. When she turned around while wiping the slimy residue of the eel off her hands, she was met with the utterly shocked and confused faces of her peers and Gobber. Asher and Snotlout both had tight grips on their weapons. The empty bucket Fishlegs was holding slipped from its place in his arms and clattered to the floor, but he made absolutely no move to pick it up because he was still gaping at Hicca.

"Okay, so are we done? 'Cuz I got something I have to… Yeah, um, I gotta go." Hicca made small, awkward movements with her arms before sprinting off, yelling "See you tomorrow!" as the rest of the group watched her run out of the arena with mixed expressions on their faces.

* * *

Asher and the other teens gaped at Hicca's retreating form as she ran across the bridge to get back to the village.

"Did she just-?" Snotlout began.

"Yup." Gobber responded, still completely shocked.

"T-the dragon?"

"Yup."

"And Hicca-"

"It would seem so." The blacksmith was ready to jump in and help Hicca like he had on the first day of training. And Asher, still holding tightly to his axe, was ready to do the same. At the thought of this, the Hofferson loosened his grip and let out a small huff of air. Saving Hicca he could handle. But watching Hicca save herself was as bizarre as it could be. Never in a million years would anyone there, or in the entire village for that matter, believe what had just happened. But there they were, rooted to the spot as they saw Hicca become a small dot in the distance.

"She just got a dragon back in its cage without even touching it." Ruffnut's revelation made everyone's eyes widen. Tuffnut was the last to catch on, as usual.

"Woah, that's like, never been done before," his eyes widen even more. "Right, Gobber?"

"Aye, it hasn't." Gobber slowly nodded. Surely this wasn't the tiny little girl that had sung in his shop and braided flowers into whoever's hair she managed to get her small hands on. He could either believe what he just saw, or deny that Hicca had gained an impossible amount of dragon fighting talent overnight. Now, after what had happened, it seemed the latter wasn't even an option.

A smile broke out on Gobber's face. "It sure hasn't."

* * *

Hicca ran straight to the forge after leaving the stunned recruits at the arena. She was giddy with excitement at what had just happened. Her plan with the eel had worked and the looks on the others' faces were absolutely priceless.

Once at the forge, she grabbed a large piece of leather and her journal. After her flight with Toothless the previous day, she decided that she would need a saddle in order to fly comfortably. Using the measurements she had from making the prosthetic tail, she was able to make a saddle that would fit Toothless.

In her excitement, it had only taken her a few hours to make, and then she was off to the cove to see if it fit her dragon companion.

* * *

"Hey Toothless, I've got a surprise for you!" Hicca shouted out into the cove as she jumped off one of the rocks onto the soft green grass. Toothless sauntered over to where she was and sat on his haunches and stared at her with wide eyes. Hicca smiled and held up the saddle so he could see. The dragon must have thought she was playing a game, judging by the look on the girl's face, and sprang onto his forepaws before bounding away playfully.

After giggling, Hicca took off after the Night Fury, the saddle held above her head. The two continued this little game until the young viking girl sat down to rest. Toothless, seeing that the human wasn't chasing him anymore, decided to go over to her and see what she was holding.

As Hicca lay on her back on the ground, Toothless padded over and sniffed at the saddle. He then started to push it back towards the girl with his wide snout and then pawed at it. Hicca smiled and sat up, scratching Toothless's head.

"That's a saddle, bud. Now let's see if it fits." She stood up and lifted the saddle. Toothless was still for the most part while she was adjusting the straps. He occasionally wiggled with anticipations about every thirty seconds. When the saddle was secure, Hicca strapped the prosthetic onto Toothless's tail. She then attached a piece of rope on to the prosthetic and held it in her left hand as she went to sit on the saddle.

"That should do it," she said while climbing on to Toothless. "Alright, you ready?" The dragon responded by spreading its wings. After a beat the Night Fury leaped into the air and Hicca pulled the rope in her hand, opening the canvas wing. The two were able to soar smoothly for a few seconds before Hicca pulled a little too hard on the rope. The wing threw them off-balance and sent both of them tumbling down, right into the same small lake they fell into earlier that day. Only this time, getting wet slightly annoyed Hicca.

* * *

Three days later the town was buzzing. Hicca had miraculously become a dragon training prodigy in a matter of days. Now, people would come to watch the recruits train, specifically Hicca, who was now very conscious of all the eyes constantly watching her.

Having Toothless around had definitely her learn more tricks to use in training. First there was the eel, then there was this type of grass that dragons went crazy for. Hicca named the grass "dragon nip" for fun. Then while working on Toothless's wing, she realized that dragons light to chase the small circle of light reflected off of any shiny object. In short, Hicca had learned a few secrets about dragons.

Things were very different than they had been a week ago. No longer was she the screw-up everyone avoided, she was the person everyone wanted to be friends with. Ruffnut offered to braid her hair multiple times, Tuffnut always seemed to be flexing when she passed him, Snotlout sat next to her at meals, and Fishlegs had repeatedly asked if she wanted to look at the Dragon Manual with him. Everyone but Asher seemed to treat her differently.

Asher was very conflicted on how he felt about Hicca. He would think about her more than he cared to admit. Mostly, he would think about how he never saw her outside the arena or the Great Hall during meals. It was almost as if she would vanish during the day. That is, until he saw her walking through the woods one day.

He was doing some working out of his own in the woods, throwing his axe into random trees as if they were dragons. He turned and was about to throw his axe again when he was met with wide green eyes. Asher froze as he and Hicca stared at each other. Only then did he noticed the absence of a shirt on his own torso. It was warmer than usual today and he seldom wore a shirt while working out on his own.

After a short while, Hicca averted her eyes downward, a slight blush covering her cheeks. She mumbled something about being sorry before turning and heading further into the forest. As she walked away, Asher noticed she was holding something made of leather in her arms. He took a step to follow her, then decided against it. Following her would be stalkerish, and he definitely did not want to come off that way.

Nonetheless, Asher definitely wanted to know what the young Haddock girl was up to. No one just gets as good as she did. He also wanted to know why she was hiding away during the middle of the day. He missed seeing her auburn braid trail behind her as she wandered through town…

 _Oh gods, I did_ not _just think that_ , the Hofferson boy thought to himself. With a small frown on his face, he yanked on his shirt before trudging back to the village.

 _Hopefully all the attention won't change Hicca._

* * *

 **Well this pretty much took the entire day to write. Now to do my six history essays! -_- I really had a lot of fun writing this chapter, it's definitely my favorite chapter thus far. Again, I'm so sorry it took so long to update. Life is very busy right now, if you could believe it. My birthday passed just this week and I went to Disneyland _and_ Universal Studios, which was great because I hardly ever go :p Hopefully you guys won't have to wait as long for the next update. I really am trying my best x)**

 **Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites! I love to hear feedback so don't forget to review! Goodbye for now :)**


	9. Chapter 9: An Unusual Life

Chapter 9: An Unusual Life

I've never been around more than a few people at the same time. Having grown up an only child with next to no one besides my dad to talk to and sometimes not even that. So it's needless to say that I am very awkward when it comes to social confrontation. Mix that in with the fact that people having been surrounding me non-stop since I started doing well in the ring and things get very awkward very quickly. Just a few days ago people avoided me like a plague. Now, people are sitting next to me in meals and fighting over who gets to sit closest to me. People are greeting me whenever I pass them and smiling at me. I'm not saying that their change of manner isn't unwelcome, it's all just very weird and very new to me. Usually people would pretend to me nice before pulling a prank on me, so I guess I'm still a little wary.

But nonetheless, it's nice not to be ignored for a change. It just so happens that my reason for doing so well in training requires the maximum amount of secrecy and now I can hardly be left alone, which is completely ironic. I have to make excuses like "Oh darn, looks like I left my axe back in the ring" and "I'm not feeling that great, you know, feminine stuff…" just so I can sneak off to get to Toothless. And it was great fun to see the reaction of the boys' faces when I said that second excuse. But sneaking off to work on Toothless's saddle and tail has been a struggle in itself.

Getting away today is a bit easier. The vikings got unusually loud and rowdy during lunch, so slipping out the door unnoticed wasn't difficult at all. I skip down the stone steps leading up to the Great Hall and walk down the path to the forge. The cool air and warm sun feels nice as I walk through the village and I smile a bit more as I breathe in the fresh air. Even though it's nice to be surrounded by people who actually want to talk to you, it's great to have some alone time on such a beautiful day.

By the time I reach the forge I'm energized and ready to test out the tail again. The changes I've made to Toothless's tail are drastic. What started out as a piece of canvas cloth over a few metal rods has turned into that attached to a saddle with wires and knobs. What I'm trying to work on now is a way for me to change the position of the tail fin without having to manually move it with my hands or a rope.

I grab the latest model and hold it under my arm as I leave the forge for the cove. Stepping back out into the village, I spot a head of blond hair down by the carpenter's hut. An involuntary blush makes its way to my face. I've been kind of avoiding Asher lately. It got awkward, at least it did for me, after I saw him shirtless in the woods on my way to see Toothless. And what's worse is that I actually stared at him for a bit longer than necessary. I mean it's not entirely my fault. He could have been wearing a shirt but no, Mister Perfect just _has_ to flaunt his perfectly sculpted torso while working out in the woods. He hasn't brought it up, thank Thor, but I still get nervous whenever I see him.

* * *

Testing Toothless's tail goes surprisingly well. The foot control modification that allows me to change the position of the tail by moving my left foot works fantastically. I sit on the saddle on Toothless's back as he's tied to a tree trunk near the edge of a cliff. The gusts of wind from the ocean make it possible for us to glide and test out the tail. Each time Toothless jumps in the air, I'm able to try a new tail position to see how it will affect the direction of our flying. Every tail and foot position is jotted down on a piece of parchment in front of me for future use, just in case I forget.

A strong gust of wind comes as Toothless jumps up again. We stay suspended in the air for just a few moments before the wind becomes stronger and the rope holding is to the trunk snaps. We're sent tumbling backwards into an area filled with tall grass. As we were sent backwards, the strap meant to keep me on Toothless unhooked, and I tumbled a little farther than said dragon did.

I groan as I hit the ground, trying to sit back up. I look around for Toothless, but the tall blades of grass block my vision mostly. Somewhere to my left, I hear a loud shuffling noise. Knowing it's Toothless, I run towards the sound to check if he's okay. Hopefully he didn't get hurt and lose another tail fin because of me. That would be terrible, I cringe inwardly.

When I pull back some of the grass and finally see him, he's rolling around in the grass making satisfied dragon noises with a happy smile on his face. The area of grass around him has been flattened due to his rolling around. Curious, I bend down and grab a few pieces of grass and cautiously bring them up to my nose. The greenery has a slightly different smell from grass. When I look back at Toothless I notice that he looks a bit drowsy and his eyes are droopy and his tongue is hanging out of his smiling mouth. I laugh at the sight and stick the few pieces of the grass into my vest.

"Okay, bud, I think it's time to go," I say as I grab a strap on the saddle and start tugging to get him upright. He obliges in a half-sleeping stupor and makes a crooning noise. When he's finally up I start pulling him in the direction of the cove and he follows slowly but surely. As I walk beside him with my hand still on the strap, I notice he's swaying slightly and laugh. It's almost like walking with a drunk dragon, which is probably more true than not at the moment.

"Well, I don't know what this stuff is, but I say we keep you away from it now." Toothless simply looks at me before licking my face with his scratchy tongue, leaving spit on the left side of my face. "Oh come on, Toothless! That's gross!" I wipe my face and get off as much of the spit as I can while Toothless makes laughing noises at me.

My hand is coated in spit and I get an idea. I flick my hands toward Toothless, and the spit flies onto his face. He scrunches his face before bringing up a paw to wipe it off.

"Who's laughing now?" I laugh at his pouting face as he shakes his head. I look up. The sun is setting and it should be dark soon. I frown.

"Come on, Toothless. Time to go home." I sigh. Toothless follows me as I walk slowly back to the cove.

"You know, I really wish I didn't have to go to training." I don't know why, but I just need to say this to someone, even if it's just my dragon.

"All that vikingness and fighting, that's not me. It never was. And now I actually have to go through with all of it, and the only reason people think I'm good is because I have you. Which they can never know about." I look at Toothless, and see his wide green eyes staring back almost sympathetically. It's amazing how human his emotions could be. I bring a hand up to my braided hair and tug on it slightly. By this time we had arrived at the cove.

"I don't want to have to fight dragons anymore, bud. It doesn't feel right." I plop myself onto the ground and throw a rock into the water in front of me. Toothless makes a crooning noise and comes up next to me before pressing his wide snout against my side. I sign of comfort, I realize. He brings his head up and licks my cheek again, but this time I don't get grossed out. I know he's just trying to help.

"Thanks, bud." I smile and reach up to pat his head. I look up to the setting sun. Dinner should be starting soon. I stand up and wipe the dirt off my pants. "Well," I begin as I turn to Toothless. "I'll see you tomorrow." He makes a low sound in his throat as he lowers and presses his forehead against mine in an affectionate manner. I smile and scratch his chin. Whoever said dragons were fearsome creatures that needed to be slaughtered couldn't have been more wrong.

It's nearly dark by the time Hicca arrives at the Great Hall, and dinner has already started. Light spills onto the darkening steps as she slowly opens the door and steps inside. Since many of the older men and women left with her father on the quest to find the dragons' nest, the hall was considerably less empty than it is normally. Small children ran about chasing each other as the men sat together and talked loudly.

Hicca walked past the group of teens unnoticed as she went to get her food. After filling her plate with a small piece of chicken and a few potatoes, she found an empty table by the corner of the hall and sat there, not feeling up to sitting with other people. Of course, the universe had other ideas.

"Hey gorgeous, why're you sitting here all alone?" Hicca let out a sigh as she looked up and saw Tuffnut sitting down in front of her on the opposite side of the table.

"It's because she's trying to get away from you, barf brain." Ruffnut pushed his face away from her as she climbed into the seat next to him.

"Oh yeah?" Tuffnut started. "Well, maybe she's trying to get away from your smelly hair!"

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Is not!"

"Is too!"

"Hey Hicca! Have you seen the new dragon book someone just pulled out from the archive?" Fishlegs was next to join the growing group as he squeezed next the the bickering twins. This caught the young girl's attention, but she barely opened her mouth before an arm was felt over her shoulder.

"Hey Fish face, stop annoying my cousin with stupid things like books." Hicca frowned at Snotlout. They had always been cousins before, but now that Hicca was actually worth noticing he wanted to make it as known as possible.

"Books aren't stupid, Snotlout," Hicca stated as she wiggled out from under her cousin's arm.

"Oh yeah. Totally not stupid. I read them all the time." Hicca rolled her eyes as Snotlout went along with what she said. _So much for eating alone,_ Hicca thought.

"Books are great and all, but combat practice is definitely a better way to pass the time." Hicca froze as the owner of the new voice sat down on her other side. Asher was sitting next to her. It was as if someone had set off warning alarms in her head as she tried her best not to blush.

"Yeah well, maybe you wouldn't be so dumb if you read books instead of training!" Tuffnut piped up, seeing him sit down next to the girl he was trying to win over. Asher cocked an eyebrow at Tuffnut. It was well known that Tuffnut was not the smartest of the teens, and that Asher was definitely smarter than him.

The conversation continued among the rest of the teens while Hicca picked at her food. The others had gotten in a loud argument about something, but Hicca channeled them out and was lost in her own thoughts. That is, until she heard a voice coming from her right.

"Hicca, why were you late for dinner?" Asher had asked. The young girl almost dropped her fork. _Odin help me,_ she prayed in her head.

"I, uh, fell asleep." she said the first thing that came to her.

Asher looked at her questioningly. "You fell asleep?" He repeated, as if not believing her.

Hicca gulped. "Yeah, fell asleep. All this training gets a person tired, you know?" Hicca chuckled nervously and her hands moved about when she spoke.

Asher's attention was suddenly on her braid. "Um, there's grass in your hair, Hicca." He pointed it out with a finger and Hicca's eyes widened slightly. _From falling off Toothless,_ she remembered.

"Oh that, ha. It's from uh… I tripped while running to dinner! Yeah that's it. I tripped while running to dinner because I overslept." She laughed nervously. _Oh gods, he's never going to buy that._

If he didn't believe her he didn't let it show. Instead he looked concerned. "Did you get hurt?"

Hicca's heart skipped. It was a simple question, but the way his blue eyes looked with concern at Hicca made her feel giddy for some reason.

"Oh um, no. No, I'm fine. It's not like it's the first time I've fallen down before." Hicca mentally kicked herself at that.

"Well, it's a good thing you're okay." Asher smiled and returned to the conversation with the others. And Hicca was picking at her now cold food once again, fighting the small smile and blush that were rising to her face.

* * *

Well, long time no see, hehe… Dx Things have been really busy and I hope you guys understand. I'm definitely not going to quit writing the story, but from now until the end of the school year in May I won't be able to upload as frequently as I would want to, sadly. Anyway, I hope you all have had a great spring break/Easter vacation if you celebrated Easter. And thank you so so so much for all your reviews and for favoriting and following. It makes me so happy ^-^ I should have a new chapter up in about two weeks, so keep a look out! I love you guys, see you later!


	10. Author's Note!

**Hey everyone! I am so incredibly sorry for not updating in the longest time. I've had almost no free time because of school, which I'm sure most of you can relate to. I'll be out of school in a week so I'll definitely have a new chapter for you guys in the next week and a half. I hope you guys aren't mad at me! I love all of you and would never give up on this story. Is there anything you guys want to see happen in the story? Let me know if there is and I might be able to tie it in. See you guys in a little more than a week! ^-^**


	11. Chapter 10: Overthinking

**Hey guys, I'm back! Again I am so so so incredibly sorry for making you guys wait this long. I'm not going to make any promises about the next chapter but will definitely try my very best to have it up soon. Again I'm really sorry, I feel terrible, but thank you all for being so understanding ^-^ So now, here's chapter 10!**

* * *

Chapter 10: Overthinking

The following days were a whirlwind of exhausting activity for Hicca. Between training, sneaking away from training, working on Toothless's tail and then sneaking back into the village, Hicca had hardly had any time to rest. But thinking was something she definitely had time for. Her walks to and from the cove were lengthy and quiet, and more often than not she found herself thinking more than she should. So today, she ran.

She ran from the cove all the way to line of trees bordering the outskirts of the village. By the time she broke through the trees, she was out of breath and all but gasping for air. She came to a stop and crouched over, putting her hands on her knees for support as her chest heaved in its attempt to fill with air. She looked around and was relieved to find that there was no one around to see her. She let out a sigh of relief, and plopped down on the grass. She surely thought that with her luck she was bound to have a run in with someone, but there was no one there to question why she was running, red-faced, and out of breath.

She looked up to the sky and noticed the sun was almost completely set. The villagers would be in the Hall for dinner. The thought of being around people made her stomach flip uneasily. It wasn't that she didn't want to be around everyone. She did, but she didn't want to walk into dinner late again and have to think of another excuse. They would most likely believe it or go along with what she said. Almost no one questioned or went against what she said anymore. One of the perks of being popular, she had guessed the reason was. She was able to convince them she was doing anything other than tending to the tail of a certain dragon she happened to befriend.

She smiled softly to herself as she thought. It was funny to her how little evidence she needed to convince people. However, her excuses were not enough for everyone. Hicca knew that a certain blond boy wasn't exactly buying what everyone else was. She could see the small frowns and raised eyebrows at dinner in the flickering lighting in the Great Hall. It made Hicca frustrated that she could not convince everyone that she had nothing to hide, but with a sigh, she came to terms that it would be impossible for Asher to figure out what she was working on in the woods. Hiding a deadly dragon in the woods isn't exactly the first assumption when thinking someone's suddenly not seen walking around town.

With one last look at the setting sun, Hicca rose from her spot on the soft grass and started on her way home. She passed a few adults standing in front of their homes here and there and greeted them a wave as she passed. A couple of children chasing an escaped sheep ran past her, making her smile at a the memories of being as care-free as them.

* * *

 _The small toddler ran through the village, shrieking and laughing with delight as she chased after a runaway chicken. She ducked under the legs of the villagers going about their everyday business. Some scowled as she passed and some smiled, knowing that young Hicca was never a child to sit still or be found without dirt on her clothes and pieces of grass in her hair._

 _"Chicken come back!" she yelled as she ran with her arms stretched out in front of her, pudgy little hands grasping for the chicken clucking as it tried to get away from the child._

 _Young Hicca was a very peculiar child in the eyes of the other villagers. Many said she was just like her mother: full of energy, adventurous, clumsy, but lovable in a special way of her own. This was never more evident to anyone as it was to Chief Stoick. He was never able to see his daughter and not be reminded of his lost love, but he was happy Hicca looked like her mother, she kept her mother's memory alive._

 _Hicca had followed the chicken to a patch of dirt in front of Gobber's forge. The unfortunate chicken had slowed down and Hicca took it as her opportunity to pounce and grab the chicken while falling into the dirt._

 _The sounds of an unusually loud chicken and squealing child were enough to draw Gobber out of the forge. He stood outside the forge door chuckling as he saw the small viking girl try to give the chicken a hug and failing as the poultry flapped its wings repeatedly. It was quite a hilarious sight._

 _"Alright lassie, that's enough torture for that bird. Go on and let 'im go," Gobber spoke with smile on his face._

 _"But I just want to give him a hug!" Hicca was now standing, trying to hold the chicken still in her arms as it continued to try and get away. Just after she finished her statement the chicken jumped out of the girl's arms and ran in the direction from which they came._

 _"Aw," Hicca's smile turned into a small frown as she watched the chicken scramble away. She let out a sigh and turned to look up at Gobber. Gobber was her favorite person besides her father, he told her funny stories and sang silly songs with her._

 _"Well now, seems like you've gone and fallen into the dirt again, haven't you Hicca? You know what that means don'tcha?"_

 _Hicca's frown disappeared and a grin replaced it. She practically bounced on her feet and clapped her hands together as she said, "I know, I know!" Without another word she ran into the forge and jumped into the large basin of water usually used for cooling hot tools and metal._

 _"No Hicca! That is_ not _a bathtub!" Gobber ran in after the girl. Luckily he hadn't used the water recently or it might have been too hot for her, but the absence of an actual bathtub made no difference to Hicca. Her clothes were still on and now wet as she splashed in the basin._

 _"BATH TIME!" She squealed. She splashed water again and Gobber happened to be in the line of fire. His entire shirt front got wet as he reached for the little girl._

 _"Yes, bath time, but not in the forge," Gobber grabbed Hicca under her arms and lifted her out of the water, her clothes dripping wet. "Why you love bath time is beyond me, young lady. No viking I've ever met likes baths as much as you do." He found a relatively clean rag to wipe the water off of Hicca's face._

 _Hicca giggled, "I just wike the water."_

 _"Aye, that you do lassie." Gobber stood up and grabbed the girl's hand. "Looks like we have to go find your father and explain how you got yourself in another predicament."_

 _With her clothes still wet and face still smiling, she walked out of the forge with Gobber. "Okay," she giggled._

* * *

Back then things weren't so complicated. Back then her father paid attention to her and she didn't have a care in the world. Her life wasn't bad, just… complicated. She longed for the simplicity before dragons and training and, as much as she wanted to deny it, certain blond boys who had absolutely no right to make her weak in the knees but did anyway.

She climbed up the steps to her home and walked through the door, closing it behind her quietly even though no one was home but her. It was times like these where Hicca felt lonely. Most of the time she was fine being on her own, but after all these years she had no one to confide in or even receive a comforting hug from.

It was times like these where Hicca needed a mother.

Hicca didn't remember her mother very well. She remembered her warmth and small things like songs and her voice, but she couldn't remember her face. Her father never spoke about her much while growing up, the occasional story was all he let out. Hicca knew it had been hard for her father after her mother was captured by dragons. She herself had never known her mother, so she didn't know how to feel. She found herself asking questions like "Would we have gotten along well?" and "Would she be proud of me?" But most of the time the question was "Would she have loved me?"

Never having a mother-figure in her life had been very hard for Hicca. Sometimes girls just need a mother to hug them when they were sad or simply to talk to.

With a sigh Hicca climbed up the stairs to her room. Some things would just have to remain the way they were. There wasn't exactly anything she could do about her mother. She fell onto her bed and was asleep soon after.

—

When Hicca woke up it was to the sound of her stomach growling.

 _Of course I would fall asleep without having dinner,_ she thought to herself. She walked downstairs to see if she had anything to eat, cursing herself for not eating anything before bed,. To her dismay, there was nothing. She had taken the last of the fish she caught to feed Toothless earlier that day. Now the only way to get food was to walk to the Great Hall to see if there had been any leftovers from dinner. Usually there was food out for villagers who decided to work later on into the evening and get dinner after everyone else was finished with their meal.

She wasn't the best when it came to telling time at night, but she could tell it was past midnight, but probably not by much. It hadn't felt like she had been asleep for too long. She got up from her bed and put on her fur boots, the went down the stairs and out into the cool night air.

The village was eerily quiet. It was dark out with only a few scattered lights still on. Hicca tried to walk to the Great Hall as quietly and quickly as she could, she didn't want to wake anyone up. She made it to the hall a few minutes later, finding a few pieces of chicken and grabbing a mug of water. She sat at a table in the dark cavern-like hall, the fire in the central hearth having snuffed out long before. She tried not to think about stories of ghosts that come out in the dark, convincing herself that she was too old and mature to believe in ghost stories.

After finished her food, she slipped outside again and began the walk home. Halfway there she heard the clatter of a bucket falling to the floor, water hitting stone pavement, and hushed, muttered cursing.

Frozen mid-step, Hicca nervously looked around. "H-hello?" She managed to not squeak. It was dark and hard to see, but she could hear rustling and footsteps coming nearer. Then she heard a voice.

"Hicca?"

* * *

Asher was tired. He had come home after dinner and decided to get firewood instead, or more likely, simply throwing his axe at trees. Of course he ended up not only "getting firewood" but running a few miles before returning home after dark. Dragon training was not going as well as he thought it would be. He wasn't the first in his class, and the extremely competitive side of him was not happy about that.

Not that he wasn't happy about Hicca finally being good at something useful, he definitely was relieved there wasn't a need to repeatedly save her during training. The boy was just simply _not_ used to being second best at something, and he was very suspicious as to just how Hicca just simply got good at dragon training. It just didn't make sense no matter which way he put it.

 _Did she suddenly become okay with hurting things?_

No, Hicca was always gentle. And she hadn't even _hit_ a single dragon during training.

 _Was she training with someone else?_

This was definitely a possibility, with her sneaking off and being found alone in the woods. But then again, all the good dragon hunters were off on a quest to find the dragon's nest, so no one _that_ good would be around to train her.

 _Maybe she was just improving. Maybe she was a fast learner._

 _A very fast learner,_ Asher thought to himself. He was already lying face up on his bed, staring at the wooden rafters above him. It was late, and he was overthinking again. It was a very un-viking like thing to do, overthinking. Most vikings were hardheaded, impulsive, not really people who thoroughly think about things. That's how Asher was different.

Yes, he was good at dragon training. Yes, he was tall and strong. But he was also smart and resourceful, able to bring new ideas and strategies to the ring. Of course it was impossible to do that if you weren't past training level. That's why he needed to be the best in training, he wanted to people to listen to him and his ideas.

 _There I go again,_ he thought. He wasn't very good at keeping his thoughts under control. Or keeping calm and not worrying. Worrying about what? About anything really. The island not being properly guarded and protected, spontaneous dragon raids, not knowing what to be prepared for, _knowing_ what he should be preparing for and being too young to do so. His uncle always said he would hurt himself if he thought too much.

Asher sat up in his bed and swung his legs over the side of the bed, bringing his hand up and rubbing his palm over his face in an attempt to clear his mind. He looked out his window and saw almost complete darkness. How long had he been laying there thinking?

He decided to get up and get some water to pass the time. He went out to the barrel of water outside his house with a bucket and the intension to bring it back inside with him. The only problem with that is that it was extremely dark. He managed to make it to the barrel and fill the bucket without any problem. But on the way back, his foot caught on a crate and he tripped, frantically whispering curse words as the bucket of water fell out of his hands and onto the floor with a clattering noise. He hadn't meant to make noise seeing as it was the middle of the night and he didn't want to wake his uncle.

"H-hello?"

Asher froze as he heard a small voice cut through the darkness. He slowly walked to the front of the house and was shocked at what he saw. It was Hicca. Asher could just make out green eyes, wide with what was most likely fear, while squinting to try and see better.

"Hicca?" He said just loudly enough so that she could hear. The rest of the village was still sleeping, and he didn't want to be the reason for a cranky viking at such early hours of the morning.

She seemed to be alone, which was dangerous for anyone. There could be wolves or a dragon could come, pick her up, and fly off with her. He seriously doubted she weighed more than any of the sheep he'd seen snatched by the large beasts. And she didn't even have a weapon with her! What was she thinking?

Instead of relaxing at the realization that it was a guy that she heard and not a hungry animal out to eat her, Hicca seem to visibly tense up more.

"Uh, yeah. Um, you're standing in a shadow, I can't really see you." She spoke nervously. And with good reason. Not many people walked around town at three o'clock in the morning. Even fewer stood in shadows at that time.

Asher mentally slapped himself. Of course she was scared, she couldn't see that it was only him. He stepped out of the looming shadow of his house and into the moonlight.

"Don't worry, Hicca. It's just me." Asher took a few more steps until Hicca seemed to relax.

"Oh. Hey Asher." That was simply all she said. She looked away from him and seemed to be thinking of something. She didn't ask why Asher was up, or try to explain why she was out _alone_ at this hour. She wasn't even speaking at all, which was very unlike her. Asher always noticed she seemed to get a little flustered when he was around, he wasn't completely oblivious. But he'd always found endearing in a way, she was cute when she blushed.

Asher shook his head before his thoughts got carried away.

"Hicca, what are you doing out here? It's late and almost completely dark, and it's not safe to be out alone at a time like this."

Hicca's eyes snapped up to his bright blue ones, almost as if she'd forgotten he was there.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I just went to check if there was any food left in the Great Hall. I kind of missed dinner earlier and fell asleep without eating." She shrugged. "Which was a bad idea, seeing as I had no food at home, so now I'm here." She looked up to Asher's face with inquiring eyes. "So why are you up right now?"

Asher shrugged and looked around the empty village. "Couldn't sleep, I guess. I thought some water would help."

Hicca arched an eyebrow as a smirk came to her face.

"And how did that go for you?" There was a playful glint that Asher could barely make out in her eyes. He couldn't help but grin back slightly.

"I may or may not have dropped the bucket…"

The young girl brought a hand up to her mouth as she giggled as quietly as she could. "I thought I heard something fall. And Asher, you may need to wash out your mouth, I heard what you said."

Asher chuckled lowly and softly. She had a cute laugh. "Yeah well I think that's enough humiliation for one night don't you think?"

Hicca's giggled subsided as she nodded. "Yeah, I should be heading home." She looked down at her boots and lightly kicked her toe in the dirt. "Well, I'll see you at training."

Just as she turned Asher spoke. "Do you need me to walk you home?"

Hicca was shocked and turned back around to face him. There he was, Asher Hofferson, asking if she needed him to walk her home. She was already close to home already, it was only about three more minutes walking distance back to her house.

"I mean, it _is_ pretty dark and it's dangerous to be out alone at night." Hicca could swear she saw the slightest tinge of pink on Asher's cheeks.

He was worried for her. And it was melting her heart.

 _Snap out of it, Hicca,_ she mentally scolded herself.

"N-no it's fine. Really. I'm almost home anyway," she managed to get out with minimal stuttering. "And I'll be safe. I don't think there's anything to worry about." She spoke with a small smile.

 _Nothing to worry about._ It was completely opposite of what Asher felt. But still, he knew she would be fine. He may or may not have simply wanted to spend more time with her.

"If you say so," he said with the smallest hint of sadness in his voice. Hicca didn't seem to notice. "Goodnight, Hicca."

The girl smiled, green eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Goodnight, Asher."

She turned and started her way home again. And Asher made sure she was safe for as long as he could see her retreating form in the moon's pale light.

* * *

 **So that chapter was a little longer than usual xD I don't know when I'll have the next chapter, but I'm definitely going to put it up before school starts again don't worry! Don't forget to review, favorite and follow! I love reading what you guys have to say. And thank you to everyone who commented on the last chapter ^-^ You guys are amazing, remember that! See you guys next time :)**


	12. Author's Note

Hey everyone…. So I guess I have some explaining to do. I am so incredibly sorry about not updating in the longest time ever, I feel so bad :( Things have been pretty crazy these past months and to be completely honest I just didn't feel up to doing anything, including writing. It's been a stressful time for me, so I took some time to focus on getting myself healthy and happy.

I've been feeling better these past few weeks, and I've started writing the next chapter of this fic! I'm not sure when it will be uploaded, my schedule from now until the end of the year is packed with school related events (ugh), choir performances (meh), and application deadlines (uuugghh). But I'm going to try my best to update as soon as I can because I miss writing and I miss your wonderful reviews.

Thanks to everyone who's stuck around and been patient with me. I love you all! See you guys soon ^-^


	13. Chapter 11: The Test Drive

**Chapter 11: The Test Drive**

The ship creaked as it made its way to the docks. It was almost in splinters and carrying more people than was probably safe, but it was the only boat left after the dragon's attack. And, it was normal as vikings to live precariously.

Stoick stood at what remained of the boat's bow as they made it to the docks, a scowl on his face. After yet another search for the dragon nest, they were still no closer to finding it than they were before they had disembarked. He was so sure of it this time, too.

Standing on the dock waiting for his life-long friend was Gobber, who'd been among the first to see the boat coming towards Berk. After spreading the news to the other villagers he waited to see which of his friends and colleagues had made it home, though judging by the condition of the ship he imagined it had not gone very well.

"I trust you found the nest," Gobber said in attempted optimism as Stoick was stepping off of the boat, taking his friend's basket for him and swinging it over his own shoulder.

"Not even close," he said shortly. He shook his head slightly as if to shake off a bit of his anger. After all, it wasn't Gobber he was mad at. It wasn't even so much the fact that they hadn't found the nest, but the fact that, once again, he was wrong about where to look for it.

He turned back to Gobber. "I trust things went well with the training."

"If by well you mean that all of your parenting troubles are over then, yeah. It went pretty well." Gobber's vague and somewhat cryptic answer confused Stoick, but as he opened his mouth to question it multiple villagers piped up when they saw him.

"Congratulations Stoick! Everyone is _so_ relieved!"

"It's out with the old and in with the new, eh?"

"No one will miss that old nuisance!"

"The village is throwing a party to celebrate!"

Stoick simply stood shocked as one by one they congratulated him on what seemingly was his only daughter's death in training. As his steps faltered he turned to Gobber once again. "She's gone?" was all he could manage to ask.

"Yeah," Gobber slowly began. "Most afternoons. But who can blame her? The life of a celebrity is tolling and with her being a wee lass she could easily get trampled by the crowds tha-"

"Wait, what?" Stoick raised an eyebrow as his friend spoke. Now, from what he gathered, his daughter was _not_ dead.

"Who'd've thought, eh?" Gobber had an amused look on his face. "Hicca doing so well in training and all. She just has this way with the beasts."

The chief's raised eyebrow melted into a smile that was almost proud. His only daughter was finally learning to be a viking, and was even _excelling_ at it. With the small smile still on his face, the two friends made their way up to the village, discussing Hicca's progress with lighter hearts than before.

* * *

This was it. Today was the day. Today, Hicca and Toothless were going to fly for the first time. And not just glide over the water in the cove or use the wind coming up from the ocean to test out tail positions. They were going out and flying over the open ocean on the far side of the island, so they wouldn't be seen.

Hicca was nervous, but excited at the same time. Sure, they could end up falling to their deaths, but it was kind of awesome in her mind. Toothless was definitely anxious to get back into the air. Hicca realized that it must have been hard for the Night Fury. She would definitely be upset if something happened to her and she wasn't able to walk anymore.

Toothless was almost bouncing with excitement as they walked to the cliff where they were to take off into the air. His tail was moving side to side excitedly as Hicca strapped the saddle onto his wriggling body.

"Toothless! Toothless, hold still, come on!" Hicca laughed, but was having a hard time. The first time she had shown Toothless the saddle he had thought it was a game to play. He had leaned forward on his front paws with his backside moving from side to side. His tongue was sticking out of his mouth and his eyes were wide with playfulness. At least she didn't have to run after him right now.

She chuckled as she finally attached the saddle and checked the tail fin for anything that might be wrong.

"Well, looks like everything's good, bud. You ready to go?"

Toothless growled happily and sauntered over the the cliff's edge, sending back a look that seemed to say _"Of course I'm ready, let's go!"_ Hicca wasn't as ready as he was, but she was ready nonetheless. Taking a deep breath in, she brought out a cheat sheet of all of the tail positions out from a pocket inside her fur vest. Then she took off her vest and put on the leather harness that would keep her hooked on the Toothless.

With a low growl, the black dragon lowered his body to the floor so his rider could climb onto his back easily. When Hicca had climbed on his back, she attached the harness to a small ring on the saddle under her so she wouldn't fall off of Toothless mid-flight. _That's a scary thought,_ Hicca thought to herself. Falling off of Toothless was definitely something she didn't want to happen. With a deep breath, she cleared those thoughts from her mind, clipping her cheat sheet to the saddle in front of her. _This is going to work, I know it will,_ she thought in her head repeatedly. She gripped the leather handle in front of her. It was time.

"Toothless," she paused and took a breath. "Go."

The dragon narrowed his electric green eyes at the edge of the cliff. Then, tucking his wings, he ran towards the cliff for a running start. Hicca readied her left foot against the peddle and shifted the gears enough to position the artificial tail fin best for take off. With a small leap off the edge of the cliff, Toothless spread his wings and they were airborne.

Wind was blowing through Hicca's hair as they glided, making the hair closest to her face come out of its braid. She would have found it exciting and exhilarating, if there wasn't a one-hundred-foot drop to the choppy waves of the ocean below. Checking the cheat sheet, she adjusted her footing as Toothless banked to the left and away from the cliff.

"Position four. No wait, six. Position six."

Toothless made a growl that was clearly in annoyance, but adjusted his wings to bank to the right. The air was crisp and cool against Hicca's face as Toothless's glided through the air. She could definitely get used to this kind of cold.

Just ahead, tall sea stacks towered over the ocean. There weren't many of them, Hicca observed, and maneuvering through them didn't seem difficult. So Hicca thought, why not give it a try?

"Okay Toothless, ready to try this?" Hicca called loud enough for the dragon to hear over the sound of rushing wind. Her response was a low hum and flattening ear plates. She took that as a yes. Quickly scanning her cheat sheet she changed the position of the wing, but only a second too late.

While Hicca was looking for the right tail position Toothless had bumped into a sea stack. Luckily, the hit wasn't head-on and Toothless was somewhat ready for impact.

"Sorry!" Hicca grabbed the leather handles in front of her and pulled on the saddle, urging Toothless to push off the rock. He managed to do so, only to bump into another rock formation.

With a growl, Toothless moved his head just enough to be able to smack Hicca in the face with one of his ear plates.

"Ow- okay! Okay, I'm on it. Position three, I think. No, position two." Hicca repositioned her left foot and the tail's new position allowed them to climb higher and higher into the air. The air began to clear of the fog that hung just above the ocean and the sea stacks became smaller below them. Hicca whooped and screamed in delight as they flew higher into the air.

Any previous worry had faded from the young girl's mind and was replaced with pure joy. Hicca looked down and the world beneath her shrank as they ascended. Her fear of flying was completely gone and what was left in its place was the need to be airborne.

"This is amazing!" She shouted into the air around her. "The wind in my ha- cheat sheet!" The wind had blown the tail position cheat sheet from its clip on the saddle. The care-free feeling was gone.

"NO STOP!" Hicca yelled to the inanimate object fluttering away in the wind as she desperately grabbed at it. Unfortunately, Toothless thought she was yelling for him to stop flying higher. She was able to grab the paper, but Toothless stopped, and the momentum kept Hicca moving higher until her harness had unhooked from the saddle. After an almost slow motion moment, they were free-falling towards the ocean at a rate faster than either of them liked. At the moment it seemed Toothless was the most afraid as he spun in circles with wide eyes.

"Level out! Just level ou- Ow!" Toothless's tail whacked Hicca in the face as she tried to get close enough to grab his saddle, sending her farther away from the dragon. The wind had blown them above land while they fell, and trees were coming into focus as she tried to blink away the tears caused by the rushing wind in her face.

"Come on, Toothless! Just stop spinning!" Somehow Toothless understood long enough for her to push through air towards him and grab the saddle strap on his back. Quickly clipping her harness into place she placed her foot on the prosthetic's pedal, opened the tail fin to a flying position, and pulled up on the saddle as hard as she could.

Toothless was able to level out and stop the free fall, but their momentum kept them moving diagonally towards the ground for a few seconds. The cheat sheet was still gripped in her right hand as her left held fast to the saddle. They were quickly approaching another cluster of sea stacks and at their rate of speed, flying up and over them wasn't an option. Hicca brought the sheet up to read, but the wind was relentlessly refusing to cooperate.

A look of horror flashed across Hicca's face, but was the sea stacks came closer, she was more determined than ever that she and Toothless could make it through. With her brows drawn in concentration she let go of the cheat sheet, gripped the saddle with both hands, and lowered her body - because aerodynamically it made sense in her mind. She didn't know exactly how she knew what tail positions would work, but somehow she and Toothless were twisting through the sea stacks at an extremely dangerous speed. Turning, barrel-rolling, and diving through and around the rocks. Together, they swerved and twisted through the misty air between sea stacks until the rocks became open seas.

"YES!" Hicca whooped and threw her arms up and Toothless howled happily into the open air. True exhilaration and freedom is what she felt, with her arms stretched out wide as the vast expanse of blue sky and sea called her to explore. Her smile was almost impossibly big as they glided towards the open ocean, and Toothless felt almost as free as he had before he was shot down. In a moment of happiness Toothless shot a plasma blast ahead of them as a celebration, which maybe it was to him, but as the blast turned to flames that they were quickly approaching, Hicca defeatedly dropped her arms.

"Oh, come on."

* * *

 **So… I obviously have some explaining to do.**

 **But first, hello again! Yep, I'm back after practically a year of inactivity and not uploading anything and not even continuing to write this story. I'm really surprised that this story still has some reads after a year, but that's besides the point.**

 **If you're among those who've been following this story since way back whenever I started it, and** ** _still_** **came back to read this, I am deeply and truly sorry for how long I've been away. I feel terrible about how it all happened, but I'm keeping true to what I've said before and I'm not going to stop writing this story (a year late on the whole apology but hey, I'm trying!). So if you've stuck around, thank you, from the bottom of my lil heart.**

 **That being said, welcome to everyone who's favorited or followed this story while I've been gone! I promise I'll try not to do this again! But thanks for reading this story and deciding it was entertaining enough to want to read more.**

 **The next chapter is in the works, so look out for an update in the near future! I hope this chapter was worth the wait (it probably wasn't, I'm very _very very_ sorry). Thank you all! I love all of you and I'll see you soon :)**

 **\- Estelle**


	14. Chapter 12: Not So Fireproof

Chapter 12

They both sat on a small island's rocky shore, Hicca sitting beside Toothless's curled and lounging frame on the ground as the shock and adrenaline from the flight wore off. Hicca, to say the absolute least, was elated and couldn't care less that her face and hair were covered in the smokey soot from Toothless's victory plasma blast. She didn't care that her hair looked wind-swept and unruly, with almost half of it loose from her usually well-kept braid. There was an almost absent-minded smile on her face as she stared out to the open sea, where the sun was just about setting over its horizon.

For the first time, Hicca felt something that she hadn't even known existed: pure freedom. No dragon training, no pretending, no trying to prove herself. Just her and Toothless and the sea below them, the sky above, and the horizon ahead of them. The only thing she had to worry about was falling, and it only added to the exhilarating feeling of it all.

She was pulled out of her thoughts as Toothless started making coughing noises. As she turned to him, he coughed up half of a fish he had eaten and turned to Hicca expectantly, obviously wanting her to eat something too.

Hicca gave a slight grimace at the slimy half of the fish and lifted her own fish out of the fire with a stick, gesturing to it for her companion to see.

"Um, no thanks," she said with a small smile, "I'm good."

Toothless looked back at the fish on the ground and gave what Hicca could have sworn was a shrug as he slurped the fish back into his mouth. Hicca smirked brought her fish up to her mouth to take a bite but heard the unmistakable squawk of a band of Terrible Terrors flying into view.

There were only about five of them, but Hicca knew not to underestimate them based on their size. Tuffnut had made that mistake in dragon training and still had scratches healing on his nose, so it was needless to say that even though they were small, they could still cause a lot of damage.

The Night Fury didn't like the new company either and started growling. His mouth curling into a sneer as his tail curled protectively around Hicca and his front paws pulled his hoard of fish closer. One of the braver Terrors scurried close to the pile of fish and quickly tried to snatch one, pulling fish with it as fast as he could. Toothless was faster though, grabbing the fish with his teeth and tugging it from the Terror before it could make its escape. The Night Fury then swallowed the fish himself, and made a noise Hicca knew was his own sort of dragon laugh at the small Terror.

It was obvious that the tiny dragon didn't appreciate the gesture, and it raised the side of its mouth in a snarl as it planted its feet firmly on the ground. It was going to attack, and Hicca leaned away slowly while bringing an arm up defensively, but Toothless didn't move an inch and remained in his relaxed position on the ground.

The Terrible Terror, however, was still very much on the offensive and opened its mouth and arched its back, about to blast fire at Toothless. But just as the Terror was going to fire, Toothless shot the tiniest amount of plasma at the smaller dragon's open mouth, and the Terror quickly puffed up and plopped back to the ground, dazed and disoriented as smoke curled of its mouth. It was a pretty hilarious sight, Hicca would admit.

"Not so fireproof in the inside, huh?" She giggled as the Terror stumbled away from Toothless and his fish dizzily.

"Well, here you go." Hicca tossed a fish from her own pile towards the smaller dragon, feeling slightly sorry for it. And it wasn't like she was going to eat all the fish in her small pile anyway.

The fish landed by the Terrible Terror - Hicca was quite proud of her aim, her tosses and throws were terribly coordinated most of the time - and it seemed to sober up after seeing it. After quickly swallowing the fish, the Terror looked up at Hicca curiously and then made its way to Hicca in a small series of scampers. When it reached her left side, the dragon forced it's small body under Hicca's hand and curled up against her hip, closing its eyes contentedly with a full belly and a seemingly new friend.

Hicca, to say the least, was shocked. She tentatively lowered her hand to rest on the dragon's scaled belly. Was this all it took to gain the trust of a dragon? Simply feed it and, in the easiest of ways, not attack it.

"Everything we know about you is wrong," Hicca realized aloud.

She had been taught to fear dragons before she was old enough to understand why. The entire village believed that all dragons were vicious, vile, and out to kill. But here, Hicca had two pieces of proof that could prove them all wrong about dragons. One was making happy chirping sounds as it was scratched under the chin, and the other would be Toothless. The dragon who hadn't killed her the first chance he had. The dragon who had befriended her and the one she now trusted enough to fly over the open ocean with.

It was as if everything she had ever know was being flipped over. She wondered if it was ever absolutely necessary to hunt and kill dragons in the first place, and her eyebrows furrowed when she realized that just a few weeks ago she wanted to be exactly like the rest of her people. She wanted to be seen as one of them, one who killed these magnificent creatures in anger and defense and pride.

As if sensing her distress, Toothless hummed in a comforting manner and nudged his own larger head under Hicca's right arm, looking up at her with wide green eyes. The creases between Hicca's brows faded into a soft smile as she responded with a few good scratches between the Night Fury's ear plates.

"Don't worry, bud." She looked out to the setting sun over the ocean's horizon, a feeling of determination washing over her. "I won't be like them. I promise."

* * *

 **I know, I know. It's really short and I'm really sorry about that but I just wanted to get** ** _something_** **out to you guys. But hey everyone, it's been a while. I hope you all are doing well :)**

 **As for how long it's taken to update, again, I'm really sorry and I feel like I apologize so much it's starting to lose it's meaning and authenticity lol. BUT things have been a lot busier for me recently and I'm going through a big season of change in life right now, and writing this particular story has been on a back burner for quite some time, as you may have noticed.**

 **I'm excited to tell you guys that over the past few months I've been working on a few original projects that were previously just ideas floating around in my head for almost a year. I don't know if any of you are interested and I don't want to give away too much, so that's all I'm going to say on that subject right now. If you guys** ** _are_** **interested, I'll have my socials listed below so you can follow my creative process/life if you want :)**

 **(also I'm like 500% more active on those platforms haha i promise)**

 **Also, thank you to everyone who has read, commented, favorited, and followed during this hiatus. I get really really happy and motivated when I see notifications popping up on my phone and I love reading your reviews and I'm going to try my very best to respond to all of them soon!**

 **But that's all I have to say for now, so thanks again for reading and thank you for understanding :)**

 **Love you guys!**

 **-Estelle**

 **ps. if you want to follow my insta comment something random like "i know you're hiding a dragon" so I know you're from here and I can follow you back, it'll be like a secret community lol. also don't be shy! i really want to interact with you guys 3**

 **insta: estelley_bear**

 **tumblr: estelleybear**


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